Revanth Reddy

Anumula Revanth Reddy was born on 8 November 1969 in Konda Reddy Pally of Mahboobnagar, Andhra Pradesh (present-day Nagarkurnool, Telangana), India. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from Andhra Vidyalaya College, Osmania University, Hyderabad. Reddy married Geetha, former union minister Jaipal Reddy's niece. The couple have a daughter. ==Political career==

Early political career Revanth Reddy was a member of ABVP, an RSS affiliated organization, while he was a student. In 2007, Reddy was elected as a Member of Legislative Council (MLC) as an independent candidate. Later, he met Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief N. Chandrababu Naidu and joined the TDP. He served as an MLA in the Andhra Pradesh Assembly between 2009 and 2014 and in Telangana Assembly, between 2014 and 2018. He contested the 2014 undivided Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly elections and was elected to the Telangana Assembly from Kodangal with a majority of 14,614 votes against Gurunath Reddy. On 31 October 2017, he formally joined the Congress party. He contested the 2018 Telangana Assembly elections from Kodangal as an Indian National Congress (INC) candidate and lost to Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) candidate, Patnam Narender Reddy, marking his first defeat in an election. Member of Parliament (MP) Following his defeat in the 2018 Telangana legislative assembly election, Reddy successfully contested the 2019 general election from the Malkajgiri Lok Sabha constituency as a Congress candidate, by a margin of 10,919 votes, constituting 38.63% of the total votes. He defeated his closest competitor, Marri Rajashekar Reddy from BRS. 2023 Telangana Assembly election campaign In June 2021, Reddy was appointed president of Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee, replacing N. Uttam Kumar Reddy. He took on the new role from 7 July 2021. He led the Congress' successful campaigning against the incumbent Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao in 2023 Telangana Legislative Assembly election with the party winning 64 seats, 4 seats past the majority mark. He contested from Kodangal and Kamareddy constituencies, winning in the former seat and losing in the latter. After his earlier wins from Kodangal constituency in 2009 and 2014, he is representing the constituency for the third time. == Chief Minister of Telangana ==

All India Congress Committee (AICC) named Reddy as the leader of Congress Legislature Party, following the elected MLAs' resolution authorising the AICC to nominate the leader, paving way for him to become the Chief Minister of Telangana. On 7 December 2023, he took oath as the Chief Minister of Telangana, making him the second person to hold the post. In the first ten days of his governance, the government launched 2 of his 6 "guarantees", the free bus travel for women and insurance under the 'Arogyasri' scheme was increased to ₹10 lakh. Its 'Praja Palana' outreach program receives over 1.05 crore applications, covering as many as 1.11 crore households. In July, another guarantee, the crop loan waiver was passed, with the Telangana government releasing ₹31,000 crore for it. The waiver was set to benefit around 40 lakh farmers across the state. In May 2024, he was summoned by the Delhi Police after the Telangana Congress shared a doctored video of Amit Shah on its Twitter handle. He denied any role in the creation or the dissemination of the video. in July 2024|left In celebrations of 10 years of Telangana achieving statehood, his government celebrated it on a grand scale on 2 June 2024. He met with Union Ministers Nitin Gadkari, Piyush Goyal, Amit Shah and J. P. Nadda in July 2024, in order to expedite pending infrastructure works and to release funds for other state works. He also met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and requested him to allot the Sravanapalli coal mining block to the PSU Singareni Collieries Company. In August 2024, he took part in a tour of the United States in a bid to get more companies to invest in Telangana. Many companies, including Amgen and Charles Schwab agreed to open offices in Hyderabad. As Chief Minister, he was vocal against residential and commercial properties encroaching on lakes and other water bodies. In July 2024, the Telangana government formed the Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Monitoring and Protection Agency (HYDRAA) to take care of such issues. He wanted HYDRAA to be developed as a strong system and was ready to allocate parts of the state budget for it. In August 2024, HYDRAA had begun to take down multiple under-construction and fully constructed structures which encroached on various water bodies in Hyderabad, including a convention centre owned by actor Nagarjuna. The body received a lot of public support for protecting the city's lakes and ponds. Under his tenure as CM, Telangana Rising 2047 Vision Document has been prepared which has created three distinct economic zones. - CURE (Core Urban Region Economy, for Services Sector Only, with Net Zero) - PURE (Peri-Urban Region Economy, for manufacturing) - RARE (Rural Agri Region Economy) in Telangana. ==Electoral history==

He was elected as the ZPTC from Midjil in 2006 and as an independent MLC in 2007 through elections by local bodies from Mahabubnagar. Legislative Assembly Elections Parliament: Lok Sabha ==Overseas engagements==

In June 2009, when Indian students were being attacked in Australia, then Telugu Desam leaders Reddy and Nama Nageswara Rao had visited Melbourne, Australia to meet with International students from India. Reddy had visited hospitals, and travelled in trains and public transport in Melbourne to meet victims, and interact with Indian students in Australia, to get a better understanding of the situation. Reddy visited the Victorian Parliament and met with then Victorian Opposition Leader Ted Baillieu to raise concerns about attacks on Indian students in Melbourne, Australia. In July 2009, Baillieu later visited Delhi, India, where he had a follow-up meeting with Reddy on the same issue. == Controversies ==

Arrest for bribery On 31 May 2015, Revanth Reddy was arrested by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), Andhra Pradesh during a sting operation, for bribing nominated MLA Elvis Stephenson to vote in favour of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) candidate in the legislative council election. A criminal case under sections of Prevention of Corruption Act and Sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code was registered against him along with two others – Bishop Sebastian Harry and Uday Simha. On 30 June, the Telangana High Court gave conditional bail. TDP party members celebrated Revanth Reddy's release on 1 July 2015 with a rally. He spent 30 days in jail. Due to the involvement of a TDP MLA, it was suspected that TDP chief N. Chandrababu Naidu was the main man behind the scam. In May 2021, when he was a Lok Sabha MP, the Enforcement Directorate filed a chargesheet against him in connection with the scam. In October 2023, 2 months before the 2023 Telangana Legislative Assembly election, the Supreme Court dismissed his plea challenging the ACB court's decision to reject his request in 2021. In February 2024, the Supreme Court heard an appeal and transferred the case to a trial court outside Telangana to ensure that a fair trial takes place. In April 2024, it deferred a hearing until July. Summons for Circulating Fake Video Delhi Police has summoned Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy in connection with a controversial video featuring Union Home Minister Amit Shah. The video, shared on social media by the Telangana Congress, was accused of being doctored using deepfake technology. Revanth Reddy's lawyer informed Delhi Police on Wednesday that the Congress leader did not share the alleged doctored video of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, asserting that Reddy had no involvement with the video and requesting the withdrawal of the notice. Reddy warned Prime Minister Narendra Modi against making threats in his state after being summoned by the Delhi Police in connection with the doctored video case. Calling the summons "atrocious," Reddy questioned how long PM Modi would continue to govern through fear. Remarks Against Police Personnel (2023) In 2023, Revanth Reddy allegedly made derogatory remarks about police officers during a party event at Gandhi Bhavan. He was reported to have said that he had recorded the names of certain officers involved in political activities and that appropriate action would be taken against them. A case was filed under Indian Penal Code Section 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace). In May 2025, he appeared before a special magistrate in Hyderabad and denied the allegations, calling them "false and baseless" and politically motivated. Supreme Court Warning Over Legislative Remarks In April 2024, the Supreme Court of India issued a warning to Revanth Reddy following his comments during a legislative session, where he allegedly claimed that there would be no by-elections even if MLAs defected. The court expressed concern that such statements could undermine the constitutional process and warned his legal counsel to advise him accordingly. Comments on Journalists (2025) In March 2025, Reddy faced backlash for comments directed at individuals he described as "fake journalists" spreading derogatory content about him and his family. He warned that such individuals could be "stripped and paraded in public," which drew sharp criticism from journalists and opposition leaders. Reddy later clarified that his comments were aimed at combating misinformation. Economic management of Telangana's finances Opposition parties have alleged that Chief Minister Revanth Reddy has driven Telangana into a deep fiscal crisis through unchecked populism and financially reckless welfare schemes, and a lack of emphasis on capital expenditure with lasting impacts. Under the previous TRS regime, Telangana borrowed around ₹5.6 lakh crore, of which approximately 50% (₹2.8 lakh crore) was invested in capital expenditure—fueling infrastructure, irrigation, and power growth. In stark contrast, the Congress government has already borrowed over ₹77,000 crore, yet spent only ₹9,447 crore, or just 12% of that on capital projects—signaling a complete neglect of development. The state now requires ₹22,000 crore per month to function but raises only ₹18,000 crore, leaving a 22% deficit every month. Of that, ₹6,500 crore (35%) goes to salaries and pensions, another ₹6,500 crore (35%) to debt servicing—leaving a measly ₹5,000 crore (just 28%) for all welfare, infrastructure, and development programs. With revenue collections collapsing—GST growth crawling at 5.5%, stamp duty collection at just 77% of the target—and no lender willing to fund this spiraling deficit, the Revanth Reddy government has effectively paralyzed the state’s economy. His administration has turned a revenue-starved Telangana into a debt-ridden liability, mortgaging its future for short-term political gains. ==See also==