Hyderabad: Yet another bureaucrat is set to test the waters in politics, and this time it is the Director of Health, G Srinivasa Rao, who is looking to resign from the service and join a political party as there are speculations in the political circles that he may plunge into politics by joining BRS during the first PAN India meeting to be held at Khammam on January 18.

The Telangana State Director of Health has been in the news for several reasons, which gives scope for speculation that he was eager to test the waters in politics. According to sources, the director of health is keen to contest from the Kothagudem Assembly constituency, and reportedly, he had also prepared the ground for the political entry, and the right time was the public meeting of BRS in Khammam. The BRS party is organising a huge public meeting on January 18 where chief ministers from the states of Punjab, Delhi, and Kerala and leaders from other states are slated to attend.

Kothagudem is represented by Vanama Venkateshwarlu, and it is said that this would be his last term. His son Vanama Raghavendra was suspended by the party after his involvement in a case of alleged harassment and abetting the suicide of a woman. This incident seems to have cleared the way for the director of health to make an entry into politics.

It is not new for bureaucrats to take the plunge into politics. The Siddipet Collector, P Venkatram Reddy, resigned from the service and joined TRS. He was made MLC by Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao. It is said that Srinivasa Rao had eight more years of service.

Though Srinivasa Rao has not disclosed his intentions to go into politics, his statements have already made a buzz in the state. In a pre-Christmas meeting in Kothagudem, he said that Covid was controlled because of Jesus Christ, which had resulted in criticism by right-wing outfits. He was in the news after he took the blessings of Chief Minister Rao by touching his feet. Responding to the criticism, Srinivasa Rao said he would touch KCR’s feet a hundred times. He takes up social service through his trust.