Several critics vouched that Tollywood actor Jayasudha Kapoor’s efforts at contesting the Assembly elections would fail. However, she proved them wrong and went on to win the polls in the Secunderabad constituency to become the first actor-turned-MLA from the city. The 200-movie-old Jayaushda created a record of sorts with her landslide victory over former minister Talasani Srinivas Yadav. The actor attributes her success to a clean image and her contribution towards charitable work. “In the 37 years of my film career, I never courted controversies. Even in my election campaign, I never spoke ill of anyone. I kept my speeches short. I didn’t have to tell voters about the government programmes. The welfare schemes devised by the government reached most of them,” she says.
Even as a steady stream of visitors throng her residence with flowers and congratulatory notes, political pundits have been busy criticising her. They opine that the Congress has cleverly fielded her from Secunderabad, sure that the actress who converted to Christianity a few years ago would strike a chord with the predominantly Christian population of the area. “Christians, Muslims and women voters saw me through in the elections. However, religion is not a major factor. If the leader lacks credibility, he/she will not be accepted by the public regardless of the religion,” Jayasudha says.
The actor who has decided to give up her acting career now. “It is something I’ve been meaning to do for a long time. Now, I think it is time I concentrate on issues in my constituency,” she says. ne of the first steps she plans to take is to start an office in Secunderabad, where people can walk in and discuss their problems with her. Once she is formally sworn in as an MLA, she says she will focus on issues like “lack of drinking water and clogged drains in the constituency”.
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