Hyderabad: Despite the Congress party’s overall victory in the Telangana assembly elections, the BJP’s Katipalli Venkata Ramana Reddy has emerged as a surprise winner in the Kamareddy constituency. This unexpected victory has sent shockwaves through the political landscape of the state.
Kamareddy, a general rural constituency in northern Telangana with a significant Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe population, was considered a VIP seat. The contest was seen as a three-way battle between KCR, the incumbent Chief Minister from the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), Revanth Reddy, the Congress party’s Chief Minister candidate, and Katipalli Venkata Ramana Reddy, a businessman-turned-politician from the BJP.
Katipalli, a 53-year-old with limited education (having studied only until 12th grade), is not a typical political candidate. He has a substantial amount of property, with declared assets worth Rs 49.7 crore, according to his election affidavit. However, he also carries the burden of 11 criminal cases registered against him.
Despite these challenges, Katipalli managed to secure a resounding victory, defeating both KCR and Revanth Reddy by a margin of over 6,000 votes. His victory has been attributed to his strong connection with the local community, his focus on development issues, and the BJP’s effective campaign strategy.
The BJP has hailed Katipalli’s victory as evidence of the party’s rising popularity in Telangana. Union Minister Kiren Rijiju took to Twitter to celebrate Katipalli’s win, calling him a “great man” who should not be ignored.
The BJP’s triumph in Kamareddy has also served as a wake-up call for the Congress party, which had been complacent in its stronghold. The party will need to reassess its strategy and address the concerns of its voters if it hopes to maintain its dominance in Telangana.