Revanth Reddy, an indomitable fighter who took on the mighty BRS

Hyderabad: It will be a classic case of a grassroots politician rising from the ranks and fighting to the finish line when Anumula Revanth Reddy, the determined Telangana PCC president, takes over as the new chief minister of the state.

Reddy is credited with steering the Congress to power in Telangana by challenging both the mighty BRS, which had a stranglehold on Telangana politics, and the ambitious BJP, which was striving hard to emerge as the alternative.

Reddy's career in public life is intriguing as it began with student activism in the right-wing ABVP and later included a brief period of incarceration amid bribery allegations.

He played a spirited role as PCC president in the battle against the BRS, led by former Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, who enjoys a larger-than-life image.

The 56-year-old Congress leader, Reddy, is known among fellow politicians, party members, and the public for his never-say-die attitude.

A fierce critic of Chandrasekhar Rao, Reddy has often been the target of vehement political attacks by the BRS and the AIMIM.

BRS leaders attack him for party-switching, citing the 2015 'cash for vote' case in which he was arrested, and for allegedly being an "agent of" TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu.

AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi targets him over his ABVP background.

Reddy, briefly associated with BRS (then TRS), was first elected to a political office in 2006 when he succeeded in a Zilla Parishad election. He was elected as a Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituency (ZPTC) member, then as an independent.

Born on November 8, 1969, in Kondareddypally village in Nagarkurnool district, Reddy was elected to the legislative council from the local bodies constituency in undivided Andhra Pradesh in 2007 as an independent.

He joined the TDP and became a confidante of party chief and former Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu.

Reddy, a graduate in arts, was elected to the Legislative Assembly on a TDP ticket in 2009 and later in 2014 when Telangana was carved out of Andhra Pradesh.

He faced the biggest challenge of his political life in 2015 when he was allegedly caught on camera trying to bribe a nominated MLA to vote in favor of the TDP in a legislative council election.

He was sent to jail in Hyderabad but was released on bail.

He quit the TDP in October 2017 and joined the Congress the same year.

Revanth Reddy lost the 2018 Assembly poll to the BRS candidate and remained in political wilderness for a while.

Reddy was elected to the Lok Sabha in the 2019 elections from Malkajgiri here, described as a 'mini-India' due to the presence of people from all over the country in the constituency.

He was appointed the PCC president in 2021 despite being junior in the Congress, leading to discontent among many seniors in the state Congress unit.

He had the challenging task of reviving the fortunes of the Congress amid difficult circumstances and succeeded in uniting the party leaders.

The ruling BRS was at the peak of its power and glory after a resounding victory in the 2018 Assembly polls and 12 Congress MLAs joining the ruling party in 2019.

The Congress continued to face setbacks as the BJP achieved significant wins in the bypolls for two Assembly constituencies and the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) election during 2020 and 2021 after Bandi Sanjay Kumar assumed leadership of the BJP in Telangana.

Unfazed, Reddy continued to lead the party in the face of formidable challenges, and the Congress in Telangana witnessed a change in its fortunes after the Karnataka elections in May this year.

Besides AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, he was the only state Congress leader who extensively campaigned during the recent assembly polls.

Reddy, a football enthusiast considered to be close to Rahul Gandhi and Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, is now poised to become the second chief minister of Telangana on December 7 following the Congress's victory in the recent Assembly polls.

Reddy is the second chief minister of Telangana after KCR, who held the office from June 2, 2014, to December 3, 2023.

However, Revanth Reddy's tenure could be challenging as he has to implement the six poll guarantees made by the Congress, face a robust opposition led by the astute KCR, and manage his own party leaders seeking recognition while the party is in power.

Before Revanth Reddy's appointment as the new CLP leader announced by AICC General Secretary KC Venugopal in Delhi on December 5, former PCC president and MLA-elect N Uttam Kumar Reddy indicated in the national capital that he aspired and deserved to occupy the post of chief minister.

Inputs from PTI