Revanth Reddy
After winning the poll on Sunday, the Congress announced this evening that Revanth Reddy, 56, will take over as Telangana’s new chief minister, bringing an end to nearly 48 hours of wild suspense.
Under fire for taking so long to appoint Mr. Reddy to the top position—he was allegedly supported by more than 40 of the 64 newly elected MLAs for the party—the Congress will now act quickly to install their candidate; the swearing-in is set for Thursday, senior leader KC Venugopal informed reporters.
Revanth Reddy, the vivacious leader of the Congress campaign, has experience working for the BRS (formerly the Telangana Rashtra Samithi), the Telugu Desam Party, and the student branch of the BJP.
In addition to managing the administration, he now has the difficult challenge of securing and extending the party’s victories in time for the Lok Sabha election of the following year. In addition, the neighboring state of Andhra Pradesh has an assembly election scheduled for next year.
After being named as the head of the Congress’s Telangana unit in 2021—a significant advancement for someone who had just joined the party four years prior—Mr. Reddy’s rise to prominence commenced.
The fact that he frequently shared the stage with Congress MP Rahul Gandhi during campaign events and that there seemed to be camaraderie in Hyderabad when Mr. Gandhi and his colleague waved “bye-bye” to the departing Telangana Chief Minister, KCR, were clear indications of the party’s regard for him.
A strong young man, Mr. Reddy has since inspired the Congress in Telangana. Hundreds of people attended his inauguration as the state unit president of the party, and he was a regular sight on the streets, spearheading demonstrations against the BRS, which was in power at the time, on several topics. His energy brought him praise, votes, and some unexpected turns of events.
He was thrown an egg by an unidentified individual earlier this year during a rally in the Bhupalpally region of Telangana. The fact that the egg missed but Mr. Reddy continued to march on with a smile highlighted his willpower.
But it hasn’t all been plain sailing; his combative management style has ruffled some hats in Congress, particularly among those who have been members for decades.
Luckily for Congress, this election has provided a good outlet for that aggressiveness.
Revanth Reddy started his political career with the student wings of the BRS and BJP, the Congress’s competitors in this election. He has served as an MLA, an MP, and will soon be a Chief Minister.
After winning the Zilla Parishad election in 2006, he assumed his first political position.
He ran as an independent the next year and was elected as an MLA for the then-undivided state of Andhra Pradesh. He returned to politics in 2009 as an MLA, this time with the TDP of former Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu.
In 2015, he was reportedly seen on camera attempting to buy an MLA’s support for the TDP during a legislative council election, which dealt him a blow. After being arrested, he was eventually granted bail.
Following a few years in the political wilderness, Mr. Reddy joined the Congress in 2017 and, two years later, won a seat in the Lok Sabha, representing Malkajgiri in Telangana. In 2021, he was appointed state chief minister.
Also read: Revanth Reddy will be the next Chief Minister of Telangana
Mr. Reddy, who was married to Geetha, a Congress leader’s niece, is a graduate of Fine Arts and was raised in a farming family in the Mahbubnagar area. Nymisha, the couple’s daughter, is the mother of a son.
