Suspended constable’s wife wins ward; BRS bags Cheriyal

Kamalapuram Gitanjali, wife of suspended constable Ramesh, won a ward in Cheriyal Municipality for the BRS, overcoming allegations, pressure and controversy, as the party secured a majority and prepared to form the civic body

Siddipet: Kamalapuram Gitanjali, wife of suspended constable Ramesh, overcame odds and won as a ward member from Cheriyal Municipality.

Ramesh, who was working as constable at the Komuravelly police station, was suspended after his wife filed her nomination as a Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) candidate from the second ward, following allegations that he had campaigned in support of her.

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However, Gitanjali and Ramesh refuted the allegations and accused the ruling Congress of forcing Siddipet Police Commissioner to make the decision based on false information.

Ramesh further alleged that the Congress leaders had offered him Rs 1 crore to make his wife withdraw from the election fray. However, the couple stood up against the threats.

After Ramesh’s suspension, his family members staged a protest and presented a representation to the Dr BR Ambedkar statue in Cheriyal town, demanding the government to revert the decision. With their appeal failing to generate any response from the government, Gitanjali and her family members campaigned vigorously.

She won with a thumping majority of 223 votes by defeating her nearest rival and Congress candidate Mustyala Teja Sanjeevaiah. BRS also bagged the municipality as the party won seven wards out of 12, while Congress managed to win five wards.

The BRS also had the cushion of utilising the ex-officio member vote of MLA Palla Rajeshwar Reddy, who led the party from the front. The party is all set to get both chairperson and vice-chairperson posts.