Driven by a resolute will to carry forward her late husband’s legacy of selfless service as a freedom fighter and sarpanch, Eeda Rathamma, a nonagenarian and former sarpanch, is contesting the gram panchayat (GP) poll from Thummalapalli village in Penuballi mandal of Sattupalli constituency.
Rathamma, who is backed by the main Opposition Congress party, is locked in a keen tussle with the ruling TRS-backed Jonaboina Ramana for the post of sarpanch of Thummalapalli, a seat reserved for BC woman.
Looking agile at an advanced age of 90, Rathamma, who served as sarpanch of the village for two terms in the past, is keen on winning the January 25 GP election to keep the legacy of her husband Eeda Chennaiah, a valiant freedom fighter, alive.
The nonagenarian entered the electoral race to honour the wishes of the staunch followers of her husband, who still enjoys a hero image in the village by virtue of his brave fight against the autocratic Nizam regime during the Telangana Peasants’ Armed Struggle in late 1940s.