Telugu NRI elected to Alberta Assembly

Vijayawada, Sep 06: For the first time a Telugu NRI was elected to Legislative Assembly of Alberta in Canada. Telugu NRI Shivalinga Prasad Panda won in the bypolls held to Woodhills Assembly constituency in Alberta state in Canada. Shivalinga Prasad was born at Sangam Jagarlamudi village in Guntur district. He studied Intermediate at AG&SG College in Vuyyur and obtained engineering degree from Siddharhta Engineering College at Kanuru. MLC YBV Rajendra Prasad, movie director Ram Gopal Varma and former MP Lagadapati Rajagopal are his college friends. Shivalinga Prasad defeated Rajagopal in student union elections. Shivalinga Prasad worked in Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) for 16 years and later he shifted to Canada in 2004. He is working as senior director of Suncor Energy company based at Calgary in Canada. Though he lost the election two times, he contested in the byelection to Woodhills Assembly seat on September 3. He won the election though only few Telugu NRIs live in the locality. He contested on behalf of Wild Rose party and used the garage of TDP NRI wing president Kodali Naveen Chowdary as the election office. Shivalinga Prasad's wife Shanti Sri works as an architect and his son Himanesh is pursuing medicine in Australia. Meanwhile, AP Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and IT Minsiter Palle Raghunatha Reddy thanked Shivalinga Prasad on this occasion.