When Revanth Reddy takes the oath as the chief minister of Telangana, he will make history as the first Congress chief minister of the state which was formed in 2014 following the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh. The 54-year-old led the party to form the government in the state with a thumping majority as the Congress won 64 out of 119 seats. Revanth Reddy is not a Congress old-timer. With a background in student politics with ABVP and then electoral politics with Telangana Rashtra Samithi and Telugu Desam Party, Revanth Reddy joined the Congress in 2017. In 2021, he was appointed the president of the Telangana Congress replacing Uttam Kumar Reddy. His swearing-in today will also be a platform for opposition unity as several INDIA leaders are scheduled to attend it amid the cloud over INDIA following Congress’s poor performance in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.
Revanth Reddy has also invited outgoing CM KCR, Andhra Pradesh chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and former CM Chandrababu Naidu.
Revanth Reddy Telangana’s 2nd chief minister: 10 things to know
1. Revanth Reddy was elected as an MP from Malkajgiri in 2019 on a Congress ticket. In the 2018 assembly election, he lost his Kodangal seat which he won in 2009 and 2014 on a TDP ticket. Before joining the TDP, he won election as an independent.
2. An Osmania University pass-out, Revanth declared assets of around ₹30 crore ahead of the election including both movable and immovable.
3. Revanth Reddy married Geeta Reddy, niece of Congress leader Jaipal Reddy in 1992.
4. Revanth Reddy’s family had no connection with politics. Before coming to politics, Revanth was in his family’s agriculture business and also tried real estate.
5. Revanth joined K Chandrashekar Rao in his Telangana movement. In 2002, when the Telangana Rashtra Samithi was formed, Revanth was with KCR. In 2006, he left TRS (now BRS).
6. In 2015, Revanth Reddy was arrested in a cash-for-vote scam after the then TDP leader was caught on camera offering ₹50 lakh apart of a ₹5 crore deal to some Elvis Stephenson. Elvis was then the MLA from Anglo-Indian community nominated by the ruling TRS (now BRS).
7. Revanth Reddy was in jail in 2015 when his daughter Nymisha got married to Satyanarayan Reddy, owner of Reddy and Reddy Motors. It was a grand and star-studded affair but Revanth’s lawyer could only manage bail for a few hours so that he could attend the wedding.
8. Since then, Revanth Reddt became KCR’s bete noire and it continued even after Revanth switched from TDP to the Congress, In 2020, Revanth was arrested for flying a drone over KT Rama Rao’s farmhouse to take pictures of it which Revanth claimed was built illegally.
9. On several occasions during KCR’s rule, Revanth Reddy was put in house arrest or prohibited from joining any protest.
10. Inside the party too, Revanth had many opposition to fight. Several local leaders complained that Revanth was autocratic and was only promoting his own supporters. Uttam Reddy, Komatireddy brothers (Komatireddy Raj Gopal Reddy, Komatireddy Venkat Reddy) Sridhar Babu, Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka
