Barrelakka To Contest From Nagarkurnool As Independent

Barelakka alias Karne Sirisha, who was a special attraction in the Telangana Assembly elections last year, has entered the fray for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections too.

She is contesting as an independent candidate from the Nagarkurnool Lok Sabha constituency.

She filed her nomination to this effect at the Nagarkurnool collectorate office on Tuesday.

She came to file her nomination along with her family members and close friends.

Sirisha became famous with a video in which she said that she was not getting a job even after earning a degree, and that she was living by rearing buffalos due to that. With this, she became known as barrelakka. She then raised her voice on the issue of unemployment on social media. In the Telangana Assembly elections held last year, she contested as an independent candidate from Kollapur in Nagarkurnool district. At that time, she received huge support from unemployed youth. Many celebrities too extended financial assistance and showered praises on her.

Sirisha was defeated in the election but polled a remarkable 5,754 votes. After the election result, she said that the votes she received came without her distributing a single rupee. "I believe I have won. I will continue to fight on people's issues," Sirisha said. She had also said that she would contest again in the Lok Sabha elections as well.

Meanwhile, the three major parties have all finalised their candidates for the Nagarkurnool Lok Sabha seat. Senior Congress leader and former MP Mallu Ravi got the Congress ticket while sitting MP Pothuganti Ramulu, who joined the BJP, managed to get a ticket for his son Potuganti Bharath Prasad. Former IPS officer R S Praveen Kumar, who was the BSP's State chief, resigned from the BSP and joined the BRS to contest as the party's candidate.