“Punish me if the Congress wins less than 80 seats in Telangana,” said Anumula Revanth Reddy, the party’s star candidate who won from Kodangal constituency. Reddy today stands as the man who brought the Congress to power in Telangana throwing away the reign of K Chandrashekar Rao since 2014. Though it may have not been the number he declared, but the party is expected to reward him for the performance, not otherwise.
The journey of the 54-year-old leader, who joined the Congress under trying circumstances, took an unexpected turn as he fell in love twice. Once, with the niece of senior Congress leader Jaipal Reddy while on a boat ride, and the second was politics, both which he overcame to be successful.
On the personal front, he had to overcome family objections and married his love, Geetha, in 1992.
His political journey began as a student with ABVP, and later his association with three major political players of the state. Starting with Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS now called BRS) in 2003, he later joined Telugu Desam Party (TDP), becoming a confidant of Chandrababu Naidu. Revanth faced setbacks in his political aspirations, notably, in 2004 when he hoped to contest the Kalwakurthy seat but was denied the ticket. He also fought the Zila Parishad election in 2006 and won as an independent candidate.
He won on the TDP ticket from the Kodangal assembly constituency in 2009 and in 2014. In 2015, however, he faced allegations in the cash-for-vote scam and spent time in jail for allegedly offering a bribe in the MLC elections.
His selection as the state Congress chief surprised many, given his defection from TDP just before the 2018 Assembly polls. Upset with the way the TDP handled his case, he switched to the Congress in 2021. In the Congress as well, he faced allegations of using power and money to secure the post of state party chief, after dethroning senior leader Uttam Kumar Reddy.
Reddy contested from the Kodangal seat once again in 2018 but faced a major defeat when the local Congress leaders protested against him in the region. Undeterred, Reddy made a comeback by winning the Malkajgiri Lok Sabha seat in 2019.
Despite the allegations of bribery and internal dissent, the Congress high command stood firm in their decision to appoint Revanth Reddy, recognising his aggressive approach, mass appeal, and vocal criticism of KCR and his family.
In the current election, Revanth is now known as the firebrand president of the Telangana Congress, who has unleashed bold rhetoric against chief minister KCR.
“What if Naxalites blast the Pragathi Bhavan (Telangana CM’s residence) using a bomb, there will nothing to lose there as the real people of Telangana have no relation to that Bhavan. Just like Naxalites had set blasts in the forts earlier, what if they blast Pragathi Bhavan with a dynamite as well? Isn’t the Bhavan like a fort where there is no entry for the poor?” asked Revanth in one of the many controversial statements he made that got people to sit and watch him as he lead the Congress in India’s youngest state.
Political analyst Palwai Raghvendra points out that Reddy’s proactive approach is evident in his efforts to reach out to disgruntled leaders from other parties, particularly, the ruling BRS and BJP, inviting them to join the Congress.
“His leadership has seen key defections from BRS to Congress, bringing momentum and dynamism to the party,” he adds.
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