Kishan Reddy joins Bathukamma at Secunderabad's Beedala Basti
Synopsis
Union Minister and BJP Telangana president G. Kishan Reddy livestreamed Bathukamma celebrations at Beedala Basti, Sitaphalmandi, Secunderabad on 16 October 2026, amplifying the traditional Telangana floral festival to a wider online audience.
Key Takeaways
Kishan Reddy , Union Minister of Coal and Mines and BJP Telangana state president, attended and livestreamed Bathukamma celebrations on 16 October 2026 .
The event was held at Beedala Basti, Sitaphalmandi, Secunderabad .
Bathukamma is a traditional Telangana festival in which women stack seasonal flowers and sing devotional folk songs before immersing the arrangement in water.
The festival underscores Telangana's distinct cultural identity following statehood in 2014 .
Political leaders across parties in Telangana routinely participate in Bathukamma, connecting the event to regional pride and women's community roles.
At Beedala Basti, Sitaphalmandi, Secunderabad, the colours and fragrance of stacked marigolds filled the evening air on Friday, 16 October 2026, as Union Coal and Mines Minister and BJP Telangana state president G. Kishan Reddy livestreamed the community Bathukamma celebrations — bringing the festival's sights and sounds to a wider audience in real time.
Flowers, songs, and Telangana's living tradition
Bathukamma is among Telangana's most cherished festivals — an annual ritual in which women arrange concentric layers of seasonal flowers, particularly tangedu (senna) and gunugu, into towering conical stacks, and then circle them singing devotional folk songs before immersing them in water. Observed in the days leading up to Dussehra, it is far more than a seasonal event: it is a living assertion of the cultural identity that the state of Telangana — formed in 2014 — claimed as its own. The locality of Sitaphalmandi in Secunderabad, the twin city of Hyderabad and one of the region's busiest urban hubs, carries deep roots in the working-class fabric of the city, making Beedala Basti a fitting ground-level setting for a community festival that has always belonged to ordinary women.Why a Union Minister shows up at a neighbourhood celebration
For Kishan Reddy, Bathukamma is political as much as cultural — but not in a cynical sense. Representing Secunderabad Lok Sabha constituency, attending and amplifying hyperlocal festivals is central to how he stays woven into the constituency's social fabric. Political leaders across party lines in Telangana have routinely participated in Bathukamma and similar regional festivals since statehood, recognising that the festival speaks directly to Telangana pride, women's agency, and community solidarity. By going live from Beedala Basti, Reddy effectively extended the neighbourhood celebration — its music, its flower arrangements, its collective energy — beyond the lane and into every phone screen tuned in.Point of View
Bathukamma has carried outsized symbolic weight, and BJP's bid to grow its base in Telangana has consistently leaned on cultural participation to counter the perception that the party is distant from the region's lived identity. For a BJP that is in the opposition at the state level, visibility at grassroots festivals is one of the few organic channels into everyday Telangana life.
NationPress
17 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Bathukamma festival?
Bathukamma is a traditional Telangana festival celebrated primarily by women, who arrange seasonal flowers into large conical stacks and sing folk songs around them before immersing the arrangement in a water body. It falls in the days leading up to Dussehra.
Where did Kishan Reddy attend Bathukamma in 2026?
G. Kishan Reddy attended and livestreamed Bathukamma celebrations at Beedala Basti, Sitaphalmandi, Secunderabad on 16 October 2026.
Who is G. Kishan Reddy?
G. Kishan Reddy is India's Union Minister of Coal and Mines and the president of the BJP's Telangana state unit. He represents the Secunderabad Lok Sabha constituency.
Why do politicians attend Bathukamma in Telangana?
Bathukamma is central to Telangana's cultural identity since statehood in 2014, and political leaders across parties participate to connect with voters, particularly women, and to affirm regional pride.
When is Bathukamma celebrated?
Bathukamma is celebrated annually in the Bhadrapada-Ashwija months of the Telugu calendar, typically falling in September-October, in the days leading up to Dussehra.
