In Andhra Pradesh, parties bring IAS officers to project clean image

The YSR Congress, is keen on fielding an IAS officer with clean image, V Chandramouli, to contest against TDP chief Nara Chandrababu Naidu at Kuppam Assembly segment in Chittoor district.

Chandramouli, a 1990 batch IAS officer from Andhra Pradesh, superannuated in 2013 and was appointed director-general of the Centre for Development Studies (CDS), which is part of the Andhra Pradesh Academy of Rural Development. 

After getting the green signal from YSR Congress chief Jaganmohan Reddy, Chandramouli quit as CDS director-general last week.

Jagan tested the waters in Naidu's Kuppam in February with his “Samaikya Sankharavam” programme, which was a huge success.

 It is ironical that the TDP, in its hey days, has begun the culture of fielding “neutral” candidates. Former CBI Director K Vijayarama Rao was one such person who made it big in TDP.

The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) might field retired IAS officers A K Goel and S Chellappa, who are TRS politburo members.

 However, none of them belong to Telangana. Goel is a native of Haryana. Chellappa, former education secretary, is a native of Tamil Nadu.

K V Ramanachari, another officer who worked as EO of TTD, joined the TRS. “Now that Telangana is a reality, my efforts will be to rebuild Telangana,” the officer says. Ramachari knows KCR since his student days.

Lakshminarayana, retired IAS officer who joined the TDP, feels a strong regional party like the TDP with a proven track record can build a socialist Telangana.