Twenty-five-year-old Karne Shreesha, popularly known as Barrelakka (Buffalo sister) has filed her nomination to contest as an independent candidate from Nagarkurnool Parliamentary constituency, a Scheduled Caste (SC) reserved constituency. Barrelakka gained popularity during the Telangana assembly elections held recently, campaigning against the BRS government’s failure in addressing the employment crisis in the state.  

Barrelakka will be contesting against sitting MP and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) nominee Pothuganti Ramulu, former Congress MP Mallu Ravi and former bureaucrat RS Praveen Kumar from the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS). Shreesha,  announced her decision to contest as an independent candidate on Tuesday, April 23. 

Barelakka, who belongs to the Mala community, went viral on Instagram when she decided to buy four buffaloes and tend to them. It was a political act to suggest that she was left to rear buffaloes as she was unable to find employment despite completing her graduation. 

She garnered massive attention when she contested in the Telangana Assembly elections in November from Nagarkurnool district’s Kollapur constituency. She stated that she decided to contest elections particularly against the then ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) led government to highlight the unemployment issue in the state. 

Shreesha polled 5,754 votes and stood fourth in the election. Jupally Krishna Rao from Congress won after he defeated the incumbent BRS MLA B Harshavardhan Reddy with a margin of 29,931 votes.