HYDERABAD, 30 April — The sister of former Lok Sabha Speaker G.M.C. Balayogi wants his party to field her, instead of his widow, for the seat that fell vacant in the house on his death in a helicopter crash last month.
B. Suryakantham is keen to contest as a Telugu Desam Party (TDP) candidate the May 31 byelection from Balayogi’s Amalapuram constituency in Andhra Pradesh.
Suryakantham has urged chief minister and TDP president N. Chandrababu Naidu to let her contest the byelection even though the party reportedly wants to field Balayogi’s widow Vijayalakshmi.
Suryakantham claims that Vijayalakshmi is not keen to join politics. She has sought an appointment with Naidu to formally stake a claim to contest the by-election. Following her move, other members of Balayogi’s family, including one of his brothers-in-law, are also expected to seek party nomination to contest the poll.
Suryakantham, the eldest and only sister of Balayogi, was very close to him. On many occasions, he had stated that he revered her for bringing him up and always standing by him.
It is still not clear whether TDP would field any other member of Balayogi’s family if his wife refuses to contest. The party has the tradition of fielding the spouse or offspring of a member of the assembly or Parliament in case of his death. Balayogi’s three daughters and a son are still very young.
Party sources said Naidu had spoken to Vijayalakshmi immediately after the Election Commission of India announced the date for the by-poll a week ago.
After some initial reluctance reportedly because she is a political novice, Vijayalakshmi reportedly agreed to contest. After Suryakantham’s claim, TDP leaders are approaching Vijayalakshmi once again to know her mind.
Local TDP leaders want her to contest. They say fielding Balayogi’s widow would be a fitting tribute to Balayogi, who nursed his constituency very well.
As a member of the state assembly, MP and speaker of the Lok Sabha, Balayogi played a key role in the development of the region.
He was first elected to the Lok Sabha in 1991. He lost in the 1996 elections but was elected as member of the assembly in a by-election from Mumidivaram constituency the same year.
In 1998, he was re-elected to the Lok Sabha from Amalapuram and was elected as the first Dalit speaker of Parliament. He retained the seat in the 1999 elections and was once again elected speaker.
