In 2015, hoardings on major roads in Hyderabad streets displayed the photo of Revanth Reddy alongside a tiger face with a caption - the hunt has begun. The message was clearly for the person holding the highest office in the state, Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao and his party, Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS). The occasion was the release of the then Telugu Desam Party (TDP) MLA Revanth from jail after he was allegedly caught on camera bribing a nominated MLA, which later came to be known as ‘cash-for-vote’ case. His supporters who put up the posters back then must be rejoicing at the big elevation of Revanth as state Congress president as he is now directly pitted against the TRS supremo.
The rise of Anumula Revanth Reddy has been meteoric, and against all odds. The 53-year-old has time and again managed to revive his political career and stay in the limelight even as his political vehicles struggled to stay afloat. Thirteen years after contesting a legislative election, Revanth now holds the reins of the grand old party in Telangana.
In 2008, Revanth contested as an independent and became a Member of Legislative Council (MLC). He joined the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and earned the ticket to contest as an MLA candidate from Kodangal constituency in state elections held in 2009. As a young TDP MLA, he was seen as a blue-eyed boy of former CM N. Chandrababu Naidu. In 2014, he again won as MLA and consolidated his position in the Telangana unit of the TDP. In 2015, he got embroiled in the ‘cash-for-note’ case after the Anti-Corruption Bureau allegedly caught him red-handed while trying to influence MLC elections. In 2017, he joined the Congress, leaving the eroding TDP and became the working president of the party before 2019 general elections. However, he lost his assembly seat in 2018 state elections, but sprang a surprise six months later when he won as MP of Malkajgiri constituency in Hyderabad in 2019 general elections.
The political performance of Revanth has always been inversely proportional to his party’s performance. The party he was associated with was never in power. In 2009, TDP won 92 seats in united AP and weakened in Telangana gradually to win only 15 out of 119 seats in 2014 elections. All this while, Revanth rose to become a trusted lieutenant of Naidu. In 2017, Congress was the main opposition party with 13 MLAs. Today, the party has just six MLAs. In these four years, Revanth went from being a member of the party to its working president, and now, party president.
Despite many seniors in fray for party president post, what seemed to have tipped in favour of Revanth is his committed and persistent fight against KCR’s family. Ironically, Revanth Reddy started his public life with TRS and is now locked in a bitter fight with the very same party. The main reason for the rivalry is the 2015 case and Revanth sees it as an attempt by KCR government to sabotage his career. After serving in jail for almost a month, Revanth repeatedly attacked KCR and his family members, including his son and IT Minister K.T. Rama Rao on various issues. Among all Congress leaders, Revanth is seen as most vocal when it comes to criticising the CM. During the 2018 Assembly elections, TRS intensified the rivalry by focusing on Kodangal, the bastion of Revanth, finally ousting him. After winning as MP by choosing a different constituency, Revanth once again went to jail for allegedly flying a drone without a permission over a private property on Hyderabad outskirts and claiming it to be a farmhouse built illegally by K.T. Rama Rao.
Revanth’s promotion may not be bad news for the TRS, as this development can set the tone for 2023 state elections and the poll agenda of the TRS.
Of late, the TRS government has been consistently projecting a stand against Andhra Pradesh CM Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy. Roads and Buildings Minister of Telangana, Prashanth Reddy attacked not just Jagan, but also his father and former CM Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, saying that they were denying Telangana its rightful quota of water from irrigation projects. According to TRS sources, even the party’s internal meetings reflect the mood of growing distance between the ruling parties of AP and Telangana. In this backdrop, Revanth’s appointment may just add strength to the pre-poll agenda of the TRS.
For starters, Revanth’s name is usually attached with former CM Naidu. Even though both are in different parties now, Revanth has never made any negative comments against Naidu or his party. It is widely believed that both the leaders maintain a cordial relation. The reaction of Congress senior leaders like former minister and MP, Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, that Revanth managed to get the post by “repeating note-for-vote” and “Congress has become another TDP”, only brings Revanth closer to Naidu in the eyes of the public. For the TRS, which is increasingly talking about Andhra rulers' injustice to Telangana, showcasing Naidu as the brain behind Revanth, will only be in sync with the party’s stand on respecting Telangana sentiment. Favouring them is the fact that Revanth was not a very visible figure in Telangana agitation. Not to forget, in the 2018 Assembly elections, the TDP-Congress alliance was decimated after the KCR-led TRS campaign revolved around Telangana pride while pointing at “outsider Naidu.”
What sets Revanth apart from all others in the current Congress top brass is his aggression, sharp rhetoric and impressive following among youth. Ruddering a half empty Congress ship with discontented leftover seniors, Revanth’s best skills will be put to test to see if he can overtake the powerful TRS and the ambitious BJP.