AAP fields former PM Narasimha Rao's grandson from Malkajgiri

HYDERABAD: The Aam Aadmi Party ( AAP) is set to field former prime minister P V Narasimha Rao's grandson, Sudha Kiran from the Malkajgiri Lok Sabha constituency here, after its candidate Chandana Chakrabarti withdrew from the electoral race.

"Chandana Chakrabarti opted out due to her personal and health reasons and now Sudha Kiran, who is the second candidate in our list will contest. We asked Kiran if he was interested in contesting and he said yes," AAP spokesperson Ramana Akula said here today.

A doctor by profession, Kiran will file his nomination papers from the Malkajgiri Lok Sabha seat tommorrow. He is the son of Narsimha Rao's eldest daughter, Sharada Venkata Kishan Rao.

Asked why he chose AAP instead of Congress, Kiran said, "I was very much motivated by AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal. I have also keenly observed the Anna Hazare movement against corruption. As I am a medical doctor and also worked with different organisations. My ideology is suited to the AAP movement and that attracted me to join AAP," he said, adding that "My grandfather P V Narasimha Rao was himself an 'aam aadmi' and maintained a low profile".

Reacting to another question about the party's first preference being Chandana, Kiran said "It is not individuals who matter".

Present Congress MP and Union Minister of State for Roads and Highways Sarve Satyanarayana, Lok Satta president Jayaprakash Narayan, former DGP V Dinesh Reddy (YSR Congress) are among other candidates contesting from the Malkajgiri Lok Sabha segment.

Meanwhile, an AAP release said today that it would field candidates for Telangana and Andhra Pradesh assembly elections to be held on April 30 and May 7 respectively.

Names of 63 candidates for Telangana and 29 candidates for Andhra Pradesh assemblies have already been declared.

"Names of more candidates will be announced in the next couple of days. So, apprehensions that AAP is not contesting assembly elections in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh are baseless," AAP convenor B Ramakrishna Raju said.