Riding on development-welfare plank, Puvvada aims hat-trick victory in Khammam

Having been elected as Khammam MLA twice, Transport Minister Puvvada Ajay Kumar is aiming at a hat-trick victory in the forthcoming Assembly elections.

Khammam: Having been elected as Khammam MLA twice, Transport Minister Puvvada Ajay Kumar is aiming at a hat-trick victory in the forthcoming Assembly elections. Riding on a development and welfare plank, he kicked off his election campaign the very day Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao announced his candidature for Khammam Assembly seat. In an interview to James Edwin, Ajay Kumar shares his poll plans.

Q: On reaching out to the voters

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A: First of all, I thank BRS chief K Chandrashekhar Rao for naming me as the party candidate for Khammam seat. I am going to seek the voters’ blessings based on our development-welfare agenda and good governance. The BRS government has empowered poor, downtrodden and marginalised sections in the society with its welfare schemes, which benefitted every household. Telangana government is the only one in the country that spent Rs.36, 000 crore on crop loan waiver and Rs.75, 000 crore on Rythu Bandhu, which means Rs.1.11 lakh crore was spent on farmers’ welfare, besides round the clock power supply. This apart, Kalyana Lakshmi, Shaadi Mubarak, Aasara and Divyangula pensions, Dalit Bandhu, BC Bandhu and financial assistance to minorities shows the humanitarian and welfare mindedness of the Chief Minister. In addition to that, health and educational infrastructure witnessed immense growth. We will explain all these to the voters and they will be with the BRS for sure.

Q: Poll prospects and a hat-trick victory

A: The people in Khammam have already decided my victory in the forthcoming elections as they are fully aware of the development Khammam achieved in the last few years and I am cent percent sure of a hat-trick victory. When I was elected as the MLA for the first time, residents in Khammam lacked proper drinking water supply, drains and roads. During the last four years, over Rs.2000 crore has been spent on development, vegetable and meat markets, an IT Hub and roads and drains were constructed. Long pending issues like modernisation of Gollapadu channel and construction of Dhamsalapuram RoB were completed. Under Mission Bhagiratha, 75,000 tap connections were provided in Khammam. Lakaram and Khanapuram tanks have been developed as tourist spots. Walkways were developed alongside the NSP canals. It is planned to construct a Cable Bridge across Munneru and a RCC retaining wall along the stream to avoid flooding in the city. From a neglected condition, Khammam has now become a synonym for development. All these will ensure my victory.

Q: Managing campaigns as district minister in other constituencies

A: The BRS is going to form the next government in Telangana. Chandrashekhar Rao is going to be the Chief Minister for the third time and I wish Khammam to play a key role in the process. We aim to win a majority of 10 Assembly seats as the general mood among the public is in favour of BRS. I will coordinate BRS campaigns in erstwhile Khammam district and have asked party cadre and leaders in Khammam to look after the campaign here.

Q: The main opponent for the BRS

A: Obviously Congress is our main opponent. BJP has no presence in Khammam. Public here do not accept communal politics. Though Congress had some hold in the past, the situation has changed now and voters know there is no use voting for the party as even Congress MLAs joined BRS believing in Chandrashekhar Rao’s leadership.

It is the face of Chief Minister Chandrashekhar Rao that voters look at when they cast their vote, not of opposition parties or their leaders.