‘Lady Amitabh’ Vijayashanti makes another comeback: Congress’s backward class face for Telangana MLC polls

Vijayashanti’s Political Comeback: Congress’s Choice for Telangana MLC Polls

Popularly known as “Lady Amitabh”, Vijayashanti won hearts with her bold police officer roles in films. But in politics, she is known for switching parties multiple times. After staying away from public life for a long time, she is now back as one of Congress’s three nominees for the March 20 Telangana MLC polls.

Vijayashanti’s Political Journey

Vijayashanti started her political career in the late 1990s with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). In 1996, she even supported J Jayalalithaa’s AIADMK and actively campaigned for the party. Later, she became the general secretary of BJP’s women’s wing and planned to contest the 1999 Lok Sabha elections from Kadapa, Andhra Pradesh. However, she withdrew when Sonia Gandhi decided to contest from Bellary.

In 2005, she launched her own party, Talli Telangana Party, to fight for a separate Telangana state. But the party failed to attract voters. In 2009, she merged it with the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) and won the Medak Lok Sabha seat, becoming a Member of Parliament (MP).

Rift with TRS and Move to Congress

Vijayashanti played a key role in getting women’s support for Telangana statehood. However, her ties with TRS chief K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) soured in 2011. She was sidelined as KCR’s children, K Kavitha and K T Rama Rao, gained political influence. In 2013, TRS suspended her for anti-party activities.

After this, she joined Congress and contested the 2014 Lok Sabha elections from Medak but lost. Since then, she had been inactive in politics.

Congress’s Surprise Pick for MLC Polls

Now, Vijayashanti is back in the spotlight as Congress’s nominee for the backward class category in the Telangana MLC elections. Many believe that her strong connection with backward-class voters and her popularity as a public figure could help Congress in the upcoming electio