Who Is Revanth Reddy? Once ABVP Worker And Now Congress' Telangana CM Candidate

Anumula Revanth Reddy, whose political journey has evolved from vibrant student activism with the ABVP to a brief period of legal troubles amid accusations of bribery, is now in the race of Chief Minister post. The 56-year-old Congress leader is widely recognized among fellow politicians, party members, and the public for his resilient and never-say-die attitude.

As a staunch critic of BRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao, Reddy, the Telangana Congress chief, frequently becomes the focal point of vehement political attacks from both the BRS and the AIMIM. The leaders of BRS criticize him for party-switching, particularly in the context of the 2015 'cash for vote' case, leading to his arrest, and for allegedly serving as the "agent of" TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu. Meanwhile, AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi takes aim at him due to his ABVP background.

Reddy, who had a brief stint in BRS (then TRS), achieved his first political victory in 2006 by winning a Zilla Parishad election. Initially elected as an independent, he served as a Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituency (ZPTC) member.

In 2007, Reddy secured a seat in the legislative council of undivided Andhra Pradesh as an independent. Subsequently, he joined the TDP and emerged as a trusted confidante of the party chief and former chief minister, Chandrababu Naidu. A graduate in arts, Reddy transitioned to the Legislative Assembly on a TDP ticket in 2009 and later in 2014, after Telangana was carved out of Andhra Pradesh.

In 2015, Revanth Reddy confronted a major political hurdle when he was purportedly captured on camera attempting to bribe a nominated MLA for TDP's favor in a legislative council election. Subsequently, he was incarcerated in Hyderabad but later released on bail.

Following his defeat in the 2018 Assembly poll to the BRS candidate, Revanth Reddy experienced a period of political obscurity.

In 2017-18, he severed ties with the TDP and aligned with the Congress, formalizing his switch in the presence of party leader Rahul Gandhi in Delhi.

In the 2019 elections, Reddy secured a Lok Sabha seat from Malkajgiri, characterized as a 'mini-India' due to its diverse constituency.

Despite being a junior member, Reddy assumed the role of PCC president in 2021, sparking discontent among senior members of the state Congress unit. Tasked with rejuvenating the party amid challenging circumstances, he successfully united party leaders. At the time, the ruling BRS enjoyed significant power and prestige, having secured a resounding victory in the 2018 Assembly polls, with 12 Congress MLAs subsequently joining the ruling party in 2019.

Despite facing setbacks, the Congress encountered significant challenges as the BJP secured notable victories in the bypolls for two Assembly constituencies and the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) election in 2020 and 2021, coinciding with Bandi Sanjay Kumar's leadership of the BJP in Telangana.

Unfazed by the hurdles, Reddy persisted in leading the party, and the fortunes of the Congress in Telangana began to shift after the Karnataka elections in May of this year.

However, he has played a major role in ensuring that the Congress ends the 10-year rule of the BRS government as his party is leading in 66 seats while the BRS is leading in 37 seats.