Hyderabad: Former IPS officer, K R Nagaraju, who tested his luck for the first time by contesting as Congress candidate from Wardhannapet won the election with a margin of 17927 votes. He got 101717 votes while BRS sitting MLA Aroori Ramesh got 86790 votes, and third position was held by BJP candidate Sridhar with 11966 votes.
Nagaraju served in police forces of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. He joined police department in 1989 and propelled his career for his work against Naxals.
During most of his tenure in police, Nagaraju worked in Warangal district, then a hotbed of Naxal activity. Once, Left-wing militants planted nearly 70 landmines to target police personnel including him. He was serving as an inspector in Mulugu.
Nagaraju, a hockey player who competed at the national level, recalled that there had been numerous such experiences of escaping from the jaws of death, which occurred alongside social service, including supporting youth in pursuing sports of their choice. He last served as Commissioner of Nizamabad police.
During his college days, he was a member of National Students Union of India. After his retirement, he joined Congress. He got a ticket from Wardhannapet and managed to sweep the seat through extensive campaigning.
