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One of these high-profile NRIs, Hanumandla Jhansi Reddy, originally aspired to secure a Congress ticket for herself but had to change her plans due to her citizenship status
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Jhansi Reddy, hailing from Cherlapalem village in Torrur mandal, Warangal district, has long resided in California, USA, along with her husband Rajender Reddy
In a surprising turn of events, the Congress party has chosen to field two Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) as candidates for the upcoming Telangana elections.
One of these high-profile NRIs, Hanumandla Jhansi Reddy, originally aspired to secure a Congress ticket for herself but had to change her plans due to her citizenship status. Jhansi Reddy, hailing from Cherlapalem village in Torrur mandal, Warangal district, has long resided in California, USA, along with her husband Rajender Reddy.
Despite living in the United States, the couple maintained strong ties with the Palakurthi constituency in Warangal, thanks to their philanthropic activities and connections with the region’s political figures.
It is important to note that Jhansi Reddy holds US citizenship, while her daughter-in-law Yeshaswani Reddy, originally from Khammam district, resides in the USA on an Indian passport as an Indian citizen.
This distinction in citizenship led to an interesting turn of events. Although it was widely anticipated that Jhansi Reddy would be the Congress candidate from Palakurthi, she could not meet the provisions of the Indian Citizenship Act, which mandated a continuous 12-month residence in India to obtain citizenship.
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Yeshaswani Reddy, who is among the two NRIs selected by the Congress for the Telangana polls, will be representing the Palakurthi Assembly constituency in Warangal district
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The other NRI candidate chosen by the Congress is K Srinivas Reddy, hailing from Hasnapur village in Tamsi mandal, Adilabad
Anticipating the potential citizenship hurdle, Jhansi Reddy withdrew her name as the Congress ticket aspirant and proposed her daughter-in-law, Yeshaswani Reddy, for the candidacy. Yeshaswani Reddy, also an NRI, was ultimately chosen as the Congress candidate for the Palakurthi constituency.
In her bid to participate in the upcoming elections, Jhansi Reddy had applied for Indian citizenship under Section 5 (1) (g) of the Citizenship Act, 1955. However, the Hyderabad district collector informed her that her application could not be considered, as she had not met the requirement of residing continuously in India for a year immediately preceding the application date.
According to the district collector’s communication, Jhansi Reddy entered India on June 16, 2022, but her stay did not fulfill the mandatory 12-month residency condition outlined in the Indian Citizenship Act, 2009. She was advised that she could reapply for Indian citizenship once she met all the conditions.
Yeshaswani Reddy, who is among the two NRIs selected by the Congress for the Telangana polls, will be representing the Palakurthi Assembly constituency in Warangal district. The other NRI candidate chosen by the Congress is K Srinivas Reddy, hailing from Hasnapur village in Tamsi mandal, Adilabad. Srinivas Reddy, who had been residing in Texas, USA, returned to India and initially joined the BJP but later switched to the Congress. He has been fielded as the Congress candidate from Adilabad. These unique developments underscore the changing landscape of political representation in Telangana, as NRIs are being actively engaged in the electoral process.
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