Athram Suguna: Adivasi Rights Activist And Her Debut In Highly-Contested Adilabad Seat

Adivasi rights activist Athram Suguna is a new face in the electoral politics. In her political debut from the Adilabad Lok Sabha constituency, she is pitted against veteran BJP politician Godam Nagesh and former BRS MLA Atram Sakku.

Suguna belongs to Raj Gond tribe and hails from the remote Pullara village in Sirpur mandal. She served as the government school teacher for more than one and a half decade. In 1995, Athram Suguna got elected as the MPTC member of Murimadugu village in Jannaram mandal.

Congress has entrusted Cabinet Minister Seethakka in charge of the Adilabad and Athram Suguna is backed by the former. Besides, several rights organisations, including farmers’ groups, have extended their support to Suguna.

Suguna serves as the district secretary of the Human Rights Forum (HRF). For the past 25 years, she has been fighting issues including farmers suicides, distresses of the Adivasi people, and student dropout. The names of Athram Suguna and her husband Athram Bhujanga Rao hit headlines after they were charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act by Mulugu police in 2020 for her alleged links with banned extremist organisation, a charge she strongly denied.

Adilabad is a Scheduled Castes (ST) reserved seat. For the Congress and the BJP securing victory in Adilabad is a prestige issue. The top leaders of both parties, Union Minister Amit Shah and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi attended campaign trails in the constituency seeking votes for their respective candidates. The grand old party believes that Congress leader holding public meeting will amplify their votes in Nirmal and Mudhole assembly segments, where they are not strong.

The Adilabad Lok Sabha constituency includes seven Assembly segments. In the 2023 Assembly polls, the Congress secured only one seat, Khanapur, while the BRS won two seats, Asifabad and Boath, and the BJP secured Nirmal, Mudhole, Adilabad and Sirpur assembly seats.