WARANGAL: Vaddiraju Ravichandra, an established businessman, is relatively new to Telangana’s political arena. Now facing his first Assembly elections, the Congress’ Warangal East candidate claims that he is confident enough to win the support of the citizens and take down the bigger guns despite his lack of experience. In a freewheeling chat with Express, he shares his experience of plunging into politics. Here are few excerpts from the interview:
How confident are you of your victory?
I am a 100 per cent confident. The response I have been getting from the people is overwhelming. The former MLA, who is also the current TRS candidate N Narender, failed the people of the city. Additionally, I belong to the Munnuru Kapu community which has a large presence here. I am confident that they will support me.
You are a relatively new entrant to politics. Have you faced any issues due to this?
Yes, it was not easy initially, but once the campaign picked up, my confidence level also went up. The people seem to be receptive to my ideas.
One of the many criticisms raised by your opponents is that you are an outsider in the constituency. How are you tackling this?
I should clarify something first. My family is actually based in Warangal city. I have set up a business in Khammam and hence, I shuttle between the two places. As a matter of fact, even TRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao and his son and daughter are all ‘outsiders’ in their respective constituencies. It does not seem to have affected them. Why is it an issue for me?
What are your plans for your constituency?
If I am elected, the first thing I will do is ensure that the citizens have access to all basic amenities. All stalled works under smart city programme will also be implemented.