Hyderabad: The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) state cabinet has been replaced by a Congress-led cabinet, after the swearing-in ceremony of the new chief minister and 11 cabinet ministers. The Congress has strategically assembled an initial cabinet with candidates from various caste backgrounds and two out of the eleven are women.
Under the leadership of the new chief minister A Revanth Reddy, this collective aims to forge a fresh path for Telangana. Here is a concise profile of the new cabinet ministers.
Deputy chief minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka
The new deputy chief minister of Telangana, Vikramarka previously served as deputy speaker of the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly in 2011 and retained his MLA seat from Madhira Constituency with 108970 votes. He also won the seat in 2014 and 2018.
Bhatti Vikramarka Mallu is a prominent Dalit leader from the Congress legislature party and represents the Madhira constituency. Before the Telangana Assembly polls, he had executed a 1,400-kilometer padayatra across the state, which proved essential for the party’s win.
The 63-year-old leader has served as the leader of the TPCC in the Telangana Legislative Assembly and chief whip for the Andhra Pradesh government from 2009 to 2011.
Uttam Kumar Reddy
The pilot-turned-politician from Nalgonda is now the home minister of Telangana. He is a five-time MLA and, also has served in ministerial roles, including as the minister for housing in N Kiran Kumar Reddy’s cabinet. He was also the TPCC president from 2015 until 2021. He also played the role of ‘chief minister’ in the Telugu movie ‘Oka Polisodi Katha’ in 2016.
He resigned as an MLA after being appointed as an MP in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The former Air Force pilot won from Huzurnagar by bagging nearly 93,000 votes in 2018. In the Telangana State Assembly elections of 2023, he won with 1,16,707 seats, defeating Saidi Reddy Shanampudi of BRS, who polled 71,819 votes.
Damodar Raja Narasimha
Damodar Raja Narsimha who belongs to the Dalit community, previously served as minister for Primary Education from 2004-2009, minister for Marketing and Warehousing from 2009-11, and as deputy chief minister of erstwhile Andhra Pradesh from June 2011 to April 2014. He won the 2023 MLA seat from the Andole constituency with 114,147 votes.
Dansari Anasuya (Seethakka)
A former naxal, Danasari Anasuya, popularly known as Seethakka started her political career in the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and moved to the Congress in 2017. She served as General Secretary of All India Mahila Congress and state in-charge for Chhattisgarh Mahila Congress. She won the Mulugu Constituency with 102,267 votes in 2023.
Konda Surekha
Senior Congress leader Konda Surekha previously she served as the minister for women’s development & child welfare, disabled, and juvenile Welfare in the Congress led state government in 2009.
Later, she resigned and joined the YSRC after the formation of Telangana was formed and, after resigning from YSRC, then she joined TRS, got elected as MLA from Warangal East in 2014, and later joined INC in 2018. She won from Warangal East constituency seat with 67,757 votes.
Duddilla Sridhar Babu
D Sridhar Babu, the new MLA elected from Manthani is the son of the late D Sripada Rao, former Speaker of the Andhra Pradesh Assembly, and served as Minister for Higher Education and NRI Affairs in 2009 and Civil Supplies and Legislative Affairs Ministry until 2014.
Komatireddy Venkat Reddy
Congress senior leader Komatireddy Venkat Reddy in 2009 served as minister for Information Technology, Sports, Youth, and Communications, minister for Airports, Ports, and Natural Gas Industries in conjoint Andhra Pradesh. He won the Nalagonda seat in 2023 with 107,405 votes.
Ponnam Prabhakar
Husnabad MLA elect Ponnam Prabhakar served as General Secretary of the State Youth Congress and Pradesh Congress Committee Media Cell Coordinator. He won the 2023 MLA seat from Husanabad with 100,955 votes.
Thummala Nageswara Rao
Senior leader Thummala Nageswara Rao quit Congress, joined BRS in 2014, and served as cabinet minister for Roads and Buildings. He joined INC back in September 2023. He won the Khammam seat with 136,016 votes.
Jupally Krishna Rao
Kollapur MLA elect Jupally Krishna Rao was a bank employee and later in the construction business who turned to politics. He also held ministerial roles in YS Rajasekhar Reddy and Kiran Kumar Reddy’s cabinets. After joining TRS in 2011, and lost in the 2018 Assembly Elections, and joined back Congress in 2023 and won the Kollapur seat with 93,609 votes.
Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy
Palair MLA elect Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy was suspended from BRS in 2023 for alleged anti-party activities. He joined Congress on July 2, 2023, and was elected from the Palair Assembly Constituency securing 127,820 votes.
