Telangana: Congress Fields Balram Naik Porika From Mahabubabad (image-X/porika_balram)
After being disqualified from contesting elections for three years in 2021, Balram Naik Porika has been nominated to contest from the Mahabubabad Lok Sabha constituency in Telangana on the Congress ticket.
Born in Madanapalli, Warangal, to a Banjara family, Balram Naik Porika had an interesting career before stepping into politics. Mr. Porika has served as a police constable and then in the real estate business. He made his entry into the world of politics in the year 2009.
Congress candidate Mr. Porika secured victory over the seat by winning 3.9 lakh votes in 2009. The former Union minister served as a member of the Committee of Labour. In 2012, he served as the Minister of State in former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s cabinet. However, he could only manage to win 2.8 lakh votes, while Bharat Rashtra Samithi, or BRS (former Telangana Rashtra Samithi, TRS) candidate Prof. Azmeera Seetaram Naik, won 3.2 lakh votes in the 2014 elections. Seetaram Naik recently joined the BJP.
In 2019, Mr. Porika was again nominated by Congress. Although he won more votes than last time (3.5 lakh), he was surpassed by BRS member Kavitha Malothu, who won 4.6 lakh votes.
In 2021, the Election Commission of India (ECI) barred Mr. Porika from contesting elections – Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha, Legislative Assembly, and Legislative Council – for a period of three years over his alleged failure to submit his election expense details as a Congress candidate in the 2019 polls. Although Mr. Porika claimed that he had submitted all necessary papers.
In terms of education, Mr. Porika has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Andhra University.
Reserved for Scheduled Tribes (STs), the Mahabubabad Lok Sabha constituency came into existence in 2008 after the delimitation of parliamentary constituencies. It includes Vidhan Sabhas such as Dornakal, Mulug, Pinapaka, Yellandu, Bhadrachalam, and Narsampet. Apart from Narsampet, all are reserved for the ST community.
As per the 2011 census, over 36.7 percent of voters in Mahabubabad constituency belong to the ST community.
