Bengaluru: In a unique twist of political fate, the brother-sister duo of B. Sriramulu and J. Shantha have ventured into the electoral arena in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, albeit in different states and from different political parties.
The siblings, hailing from Bellary in Karnataka, have garnered attention for their divergent political paths.
In the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, J. Shantha made her political debut as a BJP candidate from Bellary, clinching victory against NY Hanumanthappa of the Congress by a narrow margin of 2,243 votes.
Riding on the charisma of the Reddy brothers, she emerged triumphant despite being a newcomer to politics at the time.
Subsequently, in 2014, Sriramulu, her brother, succeeded her in representing the Bellary constituency. However, after his return to state politics in 2018, J. Shantha faced defeat when she contested in the ensuing by-elections.
Undeterred by the setback, she sought to contest the 2023 assembly elections but was unable to secure the party ticket. Instead, she has now set her sights on the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in Andhra Pradesh.
Contesting from the Hindupur constituency under the banner of the YSR Congress party, J. Shantha aims to make her mark in the neighbouring state, where her husband hails from Guntakallu Nagar.
The Hindupur Lok Sabha Constituency, encompassing one assembly constituency in Anantapur District and six constituencies in Sri Sathya Sai District, boasts a significant electorate of 15 lakh voters.
Historically, the constituency has witnessed a political tug-of-war, with Congress emerging victorious ten times since 1957, followed by TDP’s five wins and YSR Congress’s lone triumph.
As the Lok Sabha elections unfold in Andhra Pradesh alongside the state assembly polls, the electoral landscape is ablaze with fervent campaigning. In Hindupur, J. Shantha faces stiff competition from former TDP MP BK Parthasarathy. The nomination process commences on April 18, culminating in voting on May 13, underscoring the high stakes and intense rivalry in this electoral battleground.
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