NIZAMABAD: In a welcome move, candidates with higher educational qualifications are in fray for the upcoming Assembly elections, especially in undivided Nizamabad district. Around half a dozen engineering graduates are in the fray from major political parties.

Caretaker minister and Banswada TRS candidate Pocharam Srinivas Reddy is a senior engineering graduate. He entered politics after completing his BE in the early 1980s and has been elected as Banswada MLA five times.





Hanmanth Shinde worked as an engineer with the state government. He resigned to enter politics and was elected MLA in 2009 as a Telugu Desam nominee. He then joined the TRS and got elected in 2014. He is trying to score a hat-trick, contesting as the TRS nominee from Jukkal (SC) Assembly constituency.

In the Nizamabad Urban, TRS candidate Bigala Ganesh Gupta is an engineer. After winning his first Assembly election in 2014, he used his engineering skills for beautification of Nizamabad. He coordinated with roads and buildings, public health, municipal engineers and rural water supply engineers for civil works to get the job done.

Engineer-turned-politician V. Prashanth Reddy was elected for the first time as TRS MLA from Balkonda in 2014 and got elevated as the vice chairman of the prestigious Mission Bhagiratha scheme. He is now contesting as the TRS candidate from the same segment.

One of his rivals is retired district medical and health officer Dr Sirajuddin who is contesting on an Aam Admi Party ticket. Dr R. Bhupathi Reddy who has a MS in orthopaedics is in the fray from Nizamabad Rural. Assembly constituency.

The Congress has also fielded a civil engineer, Mr Eravathri Anil. Mr Anil was elected as the MLA in 2009 from Praja Rajyam party, but later joined the Congress.

In Armoor, BJP candidate P. Vinay Kumar Reddy is an engineer and is testing his luck in politics. Jukkal BJP MLA candidate Aruna Tara has the highest education qualifications in the district with BCom., MBA and LLM.