Each are leaders who shot to limelight over the yr previous the elections, due to their competitive fee in opposition to the ruling and all-pervasive Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) within the state. Each are younger via political requirements, being 56 and 52 respectively. And each are eloquent audio system.
However here’s the place the comparability ends. If Sanjay Kumar made his mark along with his Hindutva rhetoric, and put the BJP in combating mode in a state the place it had no presence, until he used to be swiftly got rid of as birthday celebration state leader, Revanth is an orator in large part within the mold of previous politicians, blending eloquence with feelings and direct assaults to hook up with the target audience.
Because the Congress Tuesday put aside the claims of leaders with longer revel in and time within the birthday celebration to pick out Revanth as CM face, many have been reminded of his vow – on being launched on bail after spending time in Cherlapally Central Prison – that, at some point, he would make certain that BRS leader Okay Chandrashekar Rao used to be left with out a political flooring within the state.
Satirically, it may be argued that the BRS govt’s relentless pursuit of Revanth has been one large think about his fast upward thrust. Beginning out as an ABVP chief, Revanth spent a very long time within the TDP earlier than becoming a member of the Congress in 2017 – this is, simply six years in the past. Few within the Congress even knew about him properly when the birthday celebration selected him as its Telangana leader in June 2021.
The primary of those movements in opposition to Revanth got here in December 2018, when he used to be put below area arrest at his area in local Kodangal over his name for protests in opposition to KCR’s talk over with to Kosi. In March 2020, he spent 14 days in judicial custody for staging a singular protest via flying a drone over the allegedly illegally constructed farmhouse of KCR’s son and BRS operating president Okay T Rama Rao.
Between December 2020 and March 2023, whilst Revanth’s profile saved emerging, he used to be put below area arrest or avoided via the police from leaving house, whilst on option to a protest, seven occasions.
In July 2021, he used to be confined to his place of abode in Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad, forward of a deliberate protest over allegations of Rs 1,000 crore corruption within the e-auction of presidency lands. In December 2021, the police put him below area arrest once more when he used to be going to sign up for a farmer protest at Bhupalpally over paddy procurement.
The BRS govt used to be on the time going through in style anger over insufficient paddy procurement after having inspired farmers to plant the crop as a part of its insurance policies.
Revanth in spite of everything broke thru this yr because the face to be careful for when he took at the leak of papers in successive examinations performed via the Telangana State Public Provider Fee (TSPSC). On March 22, the police raided his area and avoided Revanth from going to Osmania College to sign up for protesting scholars. Violent protests adopted, with Revanth on the entrance of them.
He used to be additionally arrested for main a big Congress protest in beef up of sarpanchs offended with the BRS govt for now not passing on finances launched via the fifteenth Finance Fee for gram panchayats.
Even because the BRS govt focused him, Revanth had sufficient firefighting to do at the house entrance as properly, with the state Congress bitterly divided. Native leaders reportedly complained to higher-ups that he used to be “autocratic” and “promoted personal supporters”. Some leaders like Komatireddy Raj Gopal Reddy give up the Congress over this, even though he rejoined simply earlier than the present elections.
There used to be such sour contention between the Komatireddy brothers and Revanth, actually, that the 2 warned him in opposition to atmosphere foot in Munugode or Nalgonda. After a rap from AICC leaders, Revanth reportedly promised to fix his tactics, and mellowed in his family members with birthday celebration colleagues, whilst sprucing his assaults on KCR and the BRS, specifically over corruption in quite a lot of initiatives.
“His assaults have been well-timed and sharp, and the forceful language he used made an have an effect on. I don’t know if BRS ministers and leaders have been overconfident, or complacent about their invincibility, that they didn’t successfully counter him. He controlled to create a powerful affect that he used to be going to dislodge the KCR govt,’’ a pace-setter stated.
For the Congress deflated ranks, a pugnacious chief akin to Revanth used to be like a breath of unpolluted air, bringing a vigour to birthday celebration protests and programmes. All of sudden, it appeared the Congress used to be in all places.
A 2nd spice up got here with the Congress’s large win in neighbouring Karnataka, with Revanth’s message that the birthday celebration’s time had come now not seeming any longer like wishful considering.
A 3rd burst got here when the BJP changed Sanjay Kumar in July with G Kishan Reddy, a pace-setter with a softer method against the BRS. It used to be reputedly completed via the BJP to stay channels open with the BRS for any 2024 Lok Sabha elections deal. On the other hand, the Congress used it to reinforce its principle that the BRS, BJP and AIMIM have been in a secret nexus, which turns out to have now not simply discovered takers but in addition became the Muslim vote clear of the BRS.
In different states that went to polls with Telangana too, the Congress used to be now not in need of lively leaders steerage the birthday celebration marketing campaign (one thing the birthday celebration has lacked not too long ago). The place Revanth turns out to have scored is in now not dropping steam, appearing political mettle and adulthood, and galvanising the divided area right into a unmarried battle system. It helped that the birthday celebration that used to be his rival, the BRS, used to be now not as ambitious an organised campaigner because the BJP, and that the prime command – specifically Rahul Gandhi – firmly subsidized Revanth.
In campaigning too, the 56-year-old used to be indefatigable, addressing no less than 4 rallies according to day, riding house the Congress’s message, attacking sitting BRS MLAs, elevating allegations of corruption and nepotism, and successfully convincing other people in regards to the Congress’s “six promises” and schemes.
A fortnight earlier than the November 30 elections, anyplace this reporter went, other people in cities in addition to villages would prevent one to both communicate or ask about Revanth Reddy.
BRS chief and previous minister Talasani Srinivas Yadav provides his grudging admiration. “We have been in combination within the TDP. Revanth used to be nonetheless suffering on the time, however he has matured so much since then,” he says.
TDP (Andhra Pradesh) chief Okay Pattabhi Ram additionally has simplest great phrases to mention about his former colleague who, he issues out, rose from an excessively humble background. “Revanth is an excessively first rate flesh presser. He would possibly use harsh language to assault a political opponent, however this is to be anticipated as a result of he’s very vocal, very competitive. His primary energy is his loyalty… He used to be very unswerving to the TDP and Chandrababu Naidu too. Although he left in unlucky instances, he by no means bad-mouthed the TDP… Even now he maintains a cordial courting with the leaders he labored with within the TDP.”
Pattabhi Ram additionally says that Revanth used to be at all times a excellent orator, score him simplest 2nd to Naidu in taking up past due Congress CM Y S Rajasekhara Reddy. “He can paintings up a crowd… However he’s additionally very meticulous. He prepares arduous, whether or not Meeting classes or political conferences or gatherings.”
Revanth’s pals upload that whilst he seems to have lived politics 24X7 this yr, he’s a “circle of relatives guy”. His spouse Geeta Reddy is the niece of the past due Janata Birthday celebration chief and Union minister Jaipal Reddy. The 2 reportedly got here in combination when Revanth frolicked within the Adolescence Congress as a scholar, and met Jaipal Reddy and, in the course of the latter, Geeta. “First of all, there used to be some opposition to their marriage, however all of them relented,” a chum stated. The 2 have a daughter, who’s married and settled in Andhra Pradesh.
When it got here to politics, Revanth’s formal access used to be by the use of the ABVP. Consistent with former TDP colleagues, his stint within the RSS scholar wing used to be transient and uneventful, even though he saved dabbling in village- and mandal-level politics in his house district of Mahbubnagar. In 2007, he used to be in spite of everything elected to the Legislative Council as an Impartial subsidized via contributors of native municipalities.
It used to be all over his time as MLC from 2007 to 2009 that he met Naidu, then the Chief of the Opposition. The TDP chief took him below his wing and inspired him to nurture a political base in Kodangal, a few of the influential farmers of the Reddy neighborhood there. In 2009, the TDP fielded him from the Kodangal Meeting seat, and Revanth received.
Within the Meeting, Revanth inspired Naidu along with his interventions and talking talents.
In 2014, Revanth once more defeated Gurunath, who had joined the TRS (because the BRS used to be referred to as then), via over 14,600 votes. Whilst Telangana formation made the TRS the primary birthday celebration in his political turf, Revanth remained unswerving to Naidu, and used to be appointed head of the Telangana TDP.
On June 3, 2015, in one among his lowest issues, the Telangana CID stuck Revanth allegedly red-handed looking to bribe a nominated MLA to vote for a TDP nominee within the Legislative Council. The ones with regards to Revanth say he possibly went too a long way looking to “please Naidu”, and were given stuck in a sting operation.
Revanth frolicked in prison after this incident – managing to wait his daughter’s marriage ceremony after you have a couple of hours of bail. On the finish of this jail stint, he gave his speech about ousting KCR from energy.
Quickly after, in October 2017, Revanth resigned from the TDP, and days later, joined the Congress.
Revanth Reddy on the Balanagar rally. (Representation via E P Unny)
Within the December 2018 elections, the TRS, stinging from his assaults on KCR, put all its may to verify Revanth’s defeat from Kodangal. A pacesetter stated the Congress itself used to be in part accountable. “Revanth’s rapport with senior Congress leaders used to be now not superb on the time as he used to be noticed as an interloper with a bribery taint. On the other hand, he advanced a excellent rapport with central Congress leaders, who noticed his talent to make rousing, emotive speeches,’’ the chief stated.
When he used to be made the Congress state leader in June 2021, senior leaders may slightly conceal their anger. And he has now not made many pals amongst them nonetheless. Senior leaders akin to N Uttam Kumar Reddy, Mallu Bhatti Vikaramaraka, T Jayaprakash Reddy, V Hanumantha Rao, Madhu Yakshi Goud, amongst others, are prone to call for their pound of flesh now that Revanth has were given the prize put up.
