Trouble brewing in Mekapati family: Wife or brother, who will be the heir of Goutham Reddy?

It's a case of inheritance of loss or the converse. Not so much in the sense of context connected to Kiran Desai's Man Booker Prize-winning magnum opus, `The Inheritance of Loss'. But this is essentially a story of simmering embers of a serious discord within the bereaved family of former Andhra's IT Minister Mekapati Goutham Reddy, whose sudden demise shocked everyone a month ago.

Now, what ignited the embers is the question of inheritance. Who should fill the boots? Late Goutham's wife Keerthi Reddy or brother Vikram Reddy? Patriarch and Big Boss of one of Andhra Pradesh's most influential families, Mekapati Rajamohan Reddy is pushing for his younger son Vikram Reddy to fill the gap. But, the wife of Goutham wants to contest the polls only to continue her husband's legacy and pass on the mantle to her son, Arjun Reddy, when he is ripe enough to take the plunge.

NewsMeter, has learnt that Mekapati Keerthi Reddy (46) is 'serious' about contesting the election. Her in-laws are not backing their Kodalu (daughter-in-law) and want their own blood to join the fray. Trouble started brewing in the influential family after Goutham's death. His demise has left a political vacuum. Andhra Pradesh's young IT Minister Mekapati Goutham Reddy, passed away on 21st February following a sudden cardiac arrest.

A reliable source told NewsMeter: "Late Minister Mekapati Goutham Reddy has nurtured Atmakur constituency like his baby. He first became an MLA in 2014 during the TDP government. He was re-elected in 2019 and went on to become a minister in the YSRCP government. Mekapati Keerthi Reddy was greatly involved in his work. Following his demise, his wife wants to protect Goutham's legacy. Many senior leaders who worked with Goutham want her to be his successor. There is a lot of sympathy for her and if she doesn't don the mantle, the party might face a tough fight".

Elaborating, he said: "Goutham's father RajaMohan Reddy, without consulting Keerthi, has named Vikram Reddy, his son, as the successor. This was after Goutham's another brother Prithivi Reddy refused to plunge into politics and reaffirmed that if anyone would contest Goutham's seat, it should be Keerthi and no one else".

Three-time MP from Nellore, Mekapati RajaMohan has three sons, Mekapati Goutham Reddy, Prithvi Kumar Reddy, and Vikram Reddy. The senior Reddy is a grandfather to Arjun (20) and Ananya (24) (children of Goutham and Keerthi), two girls of Vikram, and another daughter of Prithivi Reddy. While the senior politician has hung his boots, sons, Prithvi and Vikram manage the empire- KMC Group. The multi-national company is involved in construction. Having its head-office in Gachibowli, KMC group is engaged in building highways, roads and commercial complexes. Prithivi and Vikram, both post graduates, now lead the group as Managing director and director, respectively.

In fact, 2022 is the silver jubilee year for Goutham and Keerthi. Had he been alive, they would have celebrated the 25th year of togetherness. All the cousins met at Jaisalmer for his birthday and decided to have a big bash on their 25th anniversary. However, destiny had a different plan.

Who will win the family race, if not war, is a multimillion-dollar question? Stakes of power and pelf are very high in this 'Game of Thrones'.

Speculations were rife that M Keerthi Reddy would be inducted into the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy's Cabinet 2.0. However, they proved to be rumors only. If Keerthi was to be inducted into the cabinet, she would have to contest the election in the next 6 months. There is a practice or you may call it an understanding that in case of the death of a sitting legislator, the opposition skips the contest as a mark of respect.

It is learnt from confidants that MP RajaMohan Reddy doesn't want the women of his house to contest the election. This is the reason he is forcing Vikram. However, he didn't have a problem when Keerthi was part of the election campaign in 2019. She went door to door seeking votes for Goutham. It should be recalled that his wife also took part in the election campaign.

Call to the Top brass

NewsMeter has learnt that Keerthi Reddy is crawling back to normalcy from the shocking demise of her husband and has reached out to the 'power house' of Andhra Pradesh. Sources say she has received a positive response from the top and senior party leaders. "Seniors from YSRCP recently visited Keerthi and spent hours with the family during the condolence meeting. Keerthi, in a recent telephonic conversation with the top brass, conveyed her wish to contest. I believe 'they' are in her favor. Many senior leaders, voters and extended family are also supporting her thoughts", the source said.

It is to recall that Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and his wife Bharathi Reddy flew down to Hyderabad following his untimely the demise of the young cabinet minister and even attended Goutham Reddy's funeral in AP. The couple spent time with the bereaved family at the condolence meet as well.

Mekapati Keerthi Reddy is a postgraduate in Finance and holds B.Com honors from St Francis Degree College- Hyderabad. Known for oratory skills, Keerthi has rallied behind Goutham's decisions. She played an important role during his padayatra in the 2013, 2014, and 2019 general elections. She was also part of his last trip to Dubai to attract investments to Andhra Pradesh. Keerthi has the support of her children who want her to take the political plunge.