Sons, fathers and siblings lock horns in local body elections in erstwhile Medak

Gram panchayat elections in Sangareddy and Medak districts have sparked family disputes, with relatives contesting against each other for Sarpanch and ward posts. In Jhansi Lingapur, a son is challenging his father, while in Rajaram Thanda, a niece is contesting against her uncle.

Sangareddy: Elections to gram panchayats are creating rifts among family members, with relatives contesting against each other for Sarpanch and ward posts across the erstwhile Medak district.

In Jhansi Lingapur of Ramayampet mandal in Medak district, a son is contesting against his father, while in Rajaram Thanda of Kangti mandal in Sangareddy district, a niece is pitted against her paternal uncle.

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Relations have come under severe strain as none of them is willing to withdraw despite appeals from the family. Other relatives are trying to resolve the standoff by bringing the contestants together, but to no avail. Each considers the contest a personal challenge.

In some villages, different members of the same family are aligned with rival political parties. In Samshireddy Pally Thanda of Veldurthi mandal, villagers decided to elect Banoth Ganesh unanimously as Sarpanch.

However, his son Vinod opposed the decision and went to the election office to file nomination papers on Friday. He later tore the papers after villagers and relatives confronted him, leading to heated arguments and tension.

In Kukatlapally village of Kowdipally mandal, Nerudi Ashok and his brother have filed nomination papers to contest against each other, with each backed by a different political party. Similar contests between family members are being witnessed widely, raising concerns that the elections could leave long-lasting scars on family relations.