2 Deaths And A Bypoll: BRS Bets on Sayanna Family Again, Nominates Niveditha From Secunderabad Cantt

The Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) has has given a ticket to Gaini Niveditha to fight the Secunderabad Cantonment Assembly bypoll. This is the third time that the ticket has been given to a member of the Sayanna family. The reason behind this allocation is a cruel twist of fate.

Niveditha is the daughter of G Sayanna, a seasoned BRS MLA who had won the cantonment seat five times. Sayanna died last year after he suffered a cardiac arrest triggered by kidney ailments.

After his death, the BRS awarded the ticket for Secunderabad Cantonment seat to his daughter Lasya Nanditha. It was her political debut and at 37, she was one of the youngest politicians in the state. She emerged victorious after defeating her nearest rival Narayanan Sri Ganesh of the BJP by a margin of 17,169 votes.

However, in a tragic accident this February, Nanditha lost her life. While travelling from Medchal to Patancheru on ORR, her car met with an accident and she succumbed to severe head injuries. The car’s driver reportedly fell asleep at the wheel.

Her death brought a pall of gloom on all political circles, cutting across party lines. Her death necessitated the conduct of a bypoll on the Secunderabad Cantonment Assembly seat. The Secunderabad Cantonment bypoll is scheduled to be held on May 13.

The BRS has now allotted the ticket to Nanditha’s elder sister, Niveditha. In a press conference, she said that she took the decision after several seniors from the BRS advised her to fight from the seat. She said that she hoped that people would make her victorious just they had in case of her father and sister.

The BRS is reportedly seeking to win the bypoll riding on a sympathy wave for the beleaguered family. While Sayanna is still admired for his work, Nanditha’s tragic death, too, has moved voters.

In the Telangana Assembly Elections 2023, the BRS performed better on city seats while the Congress emerged victorious everywhere else.

Meanwhile, the Congress has given the ticket to Narayanan Sri Ganesh, who jumped ship from BJP to the Congress this year. The BJP has not announced its candidate yet.