Anumula Revanth Reddy

Hyderabad: Anumula Revanth Reddy, whose political trajectory has surged from student activism with the ABVP to a brief period of incarceration amid allegations of bribery, now finds himself on the brink of a potential chief ministership.

The 56-year-old Congress leader is known among fellow politicians, partymen and people for his never-say-die attitude.

A fierce critic of BRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao, Reddy, the Telangana Congress chief, is often the target of virulent political attacks by the BRS and the AIMIM.

The BRS leaders attack him for changing parties, with regard to the 2015 ‘cash for vote’ case in which he was arrested and for allegedly being the “agent of” TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu.

AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi targets him over his ABVP background.

Reddy, who was briefly in BRS (then TRS) was first elected to a political office in 2006 when he was successful in a Zilla Parishad election. He was elected as a Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituency (ZPTC) member then as an independent.

He was elected to the legislative council in undivided Andhra Pradesh in 2007 as an independent.

Reddy had joined the TDP and became a confidante of party chief and former chief minister Chandrababu Naidu.

Reddy, a graduate in arts, was elected to the Legislative Assembly on a TDP ticket in 2009 and later in 2014 when Telangana was carved out of Andhra Pradesh.

He faced the biggest challenge of his political life in 2015 when he was allegedly caught on camera trying to bribe a nominated MLA to vote in favour of the TDP in a legislative council election.

He was sent to a jail in Hyderabad but was released after he secured bail.

Revanth Reddy lost the 2018 Assembly poll to the BRS candidate and remained in political wilderness for a while.

He quit the TDP and joined the Congress in 2017-18 in the presence of party leader Rahul Gandhi in Delhi.

Reddy was elected to the Lok Sabha in the 2019 elections from Malkajgiri here, described as a ‘mini-India’ in view of the presence of people from all over the country in the constituency.

Reddy was appointed the PCC president in 2021 in spite of being a junior in the Congress. This has led to a heartburn among many seniors in the state Congress unit.

He had the unenviable task of reviving the fortunes of the Congress amid challenging circumstances and succeeded in bringing together the party leaders.

The ruling BRS was at the pinnacle of its power and glory after a resounding victory in the 2018 Assembly polls and 12 Congress MLAs joining the ruling party in 2019.

The Congress continued to face setbacks as the BJP scored major wins in the bypolls to two Assembly constituencies and the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) election during 2020 and 2021 after Bandi Sanjay Kumar took over the reins of the BJP in Telangana.

Undaunted, Reddy continued to lead the party in the face of stiff challenges and the Congress in Telangana saw a change in its fortunes after the Karnataka elections in May this year.

After the momentum generated following the Karnataka win, the graph of Congress rose further in Telangana in view of a perception among people and political circles about an alleged tacit understanding between the BRS and the BJP, especially with regard to allegations against MLC and CM KCR’s daughter Kavitha in the Delhi excise policy case.

Reddy, a football lover, who is considered to be close to Rahul Gandhi and Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, could well become the chief minister in view of the Congress coming out on top in the Assembly polls.

Raipur: Incumbent  Chhattisgarh Chief Minister  and Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel has handed over his resignation to the Governor, following his party’s defeat in the state elections

Chhattisgarh CM and Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel hands over his resignation to the Governor following the defeat of Congress in Chhattisgarh 

New Delhi: With the Assembly election results throwing up surprises, most exit polls got the outcome in Chhattisgarh and the scale of the BJP’s win in Madhya Pradesh wrong.

Only India Today-Axis My India, Today’s Chanakya and India TV-CNX had predicted a big victory for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Madhya Pradesh.

Many pollsters, however, got their prediction for the Telangana and Rajasthan polls right.

The BJP tightened its stranglehold in the Hindi heartland with big victories in the Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh polls, while the Congress is set to oust the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) from power in Telangana.

According to the Election Commission (EC), while the BJP is projected to win 54 seats and the Congress 35 in Chhattisgarh, in Rajasthan, the saffron party is set to win 115 seats and the Congress 69.

In Madhya Pradesh, the BJP is set to win 165 seats and the Congress 64. In Telangana, the Congress is poised to win 64 seats, the BRS 39 and the BJP eight.

Elections to five states, including Mizoram, took place between November 7 and November 30 and the counting of votes for four states was taken up on Sunday.

The poll results for Mizoram will be declared on Monday.

In Madhya Pradesh, while Dainik Bhaskar had predicted 95 to 115 seats for the BJP and 105 to 120 seats for the Congress, India Today-Axis My India had said the saffron party would get 140 to 162 seats and the Congress between 68 and 90.

India TV-CNX had also predicted a landslide victory for the BJP, pegging the number of seats at 140 to 159 and 70 to 89 for the Congress. Today’s Chanakya had predicted that the BJP would get up to 163 seats while the Congress’s tally would be between 62 and 86.

While the Jan Ki Baat exit poll had predicted that the BJP would get 100 to 123 seats and the Congress 102 to 125, Republic TV-Matrize had given 118 to 130 seats to the saffron party and 97 to 107 seats to the Congress.

TV9 Bharatvarsh-Polstrat had said the BJP would get 106 to 116 seats and the Congress between 111 and 121. Times Now-ETG had given 105 to 117 seats to the BJP and 109 to 125 seats to the Congress.

Jist-TIF-NAI had said the Congress had an edge in Madhya Pradesh, just like in 2018, and predicted 107 to 124 seats for the party as against the BJP’s tally of 102 to 119 seats.

In Rajasthan, India Today-Axis My India had hinted at a tight race, predicting 86 to 106 seats for the Congress, 80 to 100 seats for the BJP and nine to 18 seats for others.

While Dainik Bhaskar had given 98 to 105 seats to the BJP and 85 to 95 seats to the Congress, Jan Ki Baat had forecast that the saffron party would get 100 to 122 seats and the Congress between 62 and 85.

TV9 Bharatvarsh-Polstrat had predicted 100 to 110 seats for the BJP and 90 to 100 seats for the Congress in Rajasthan. Times Now-ETG had predicted 108 to 128 seats for the BJP and 56 to 72 seats for the Congress in the desert state.

Today’s Chanakya got it wrong, giving a simple majority to the Congress, projecting that it would get 101 seats as against the BJP’s tally of 89.

While India TV-CNX had put the Congress’s tally at 94 to 104 in the 200-member Rajasthan Assembly and the BJP’s at 80 to 90, Republic TV-Matrize had given 115 to 130 seats to the saffron party and 65 to 75 seats to the Congress.

P-MARQ pollsters gave 105 to 125 seats to the BJP and 69 to 91 seats to the Congress.

Jist-TIF-NAI had predicted that the revolving-door tradition would continue in Rajasthan and said the BJP would bag 110 seats and the Congress 70.

For Chhattisgarh, while ABP News-C Voter had predicted 41 to 53 seats for the Congress and 36 to 48 seats for the BJP in the 90-member House, India Today-Axis My India had forecast 40 to 50 seats for the Congress and 36 to 46 seats for the BJP.

India TV-CNX had forecast 46 to 56 seats for the Congress and 30 to 40 seats for the BJP.

News 24-Today’s Chanakya was off the mark in Chhattisgarh, predicting that the Congress would secure a clear majority with 57 seats (plus-minus eight) while the BJP would get 33 seats (plus-minus eight).

According to Jan Ki Baat, the BJP would get 34 to 45 seats and the Congress between 42 and 53.

Dainik Bhaskar had also predicted a Congress victory, putting the party’s tally at 46 to 55 seats as against the BJP’s 35 to 45 seats.

For Telangana, while India TV-CNX had forecast 63 to 79 seats for the Congress, 31 to 47 seats for the BRS, two to four seats for the BJP and five to seven seats for the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), Jan Ki Baat had forecast that the Congress would get 48 to 64 seats, the BRS would get 40 to 55 seats, the BJP would get seven to 13 seats and the AIMIM between four and seven seats.

Republic TV-Matrize had predicted that the Congress would get 58 to 68 seats in Telangana, the BRS would get 46 to 56 seats, the BJP four to nine seats and the AIMIM five to seven seats. TV9 Bharatvarsh-Polstrat had said the Congress would get 49 to 59 seats, the BRS 48 to 58, the BJP five to 10 and the AIMIM six to eight.

News 24-Today’s Chanakya had predicted a clear victory for the Congress, giving the party 71 seats against 33 of the BRS and seven of the BJP.

Hyderabad: Three BJP Lok Sabha members from Telangana who contested the assembly elections lost the polls on Sunday.

However, three Congress Lok Sabha members and a BRS MP, who fought the state election, emerged victorious.

BJP national general secretary and Lok Sabha member Bandi Sanjay Kumar lost from Karimnagar, while the BJP’s Nizamabad MP D Arvind was defeated in Koratla.

Another BJP Lok Sabha member from Adilabad Soyam Bapu Rao lost the assembly election from the Boath constituency.

State Congress president A Revanth Reddy, who is the Lok Sabha member from Malkajgiri, won from Kodangal. He also contested from Kamareddy seat but lost.

Congress Lok Sabha members Komatireddy Venkat Reddy and N Uttam Kumar Reddy won from Nalgonda and Huzurnagar, respectively.

BRS Lok Sabha member from Medak Kotha Prabhakar Reddy won from the Dubbak assembly segment.

As results emerge out of the states of Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan, it’s bricks and bouquets for the two key parties — the BJP and the Congress. 

The Congress is making a comeback in Telangana and is likely to retain Chhattisgarh. However, voters in Rajasthan and MP seem to have gone with the BJP, according to the latest trends.

Many stories are set to be written during the course of counting day.

Counting of votes in the assembly elections, which is being seen as a semi-final of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, began at 8 am. 

If Telangana, India’s newest state, votes out KCR who spearheaded its creation, it will be a tale of the fall of a leader who once could do no wrong.

In Madhya Pradesh, on the line is the fate of the BJP’s longest-serving CM. Also, waiting to know his destiny is Kamal Nath, as seasoned a politician as they come.

In Chhatisgarh, it is Bhupesh ‘the great survivor’ Baghel, who will be keen to return to power. Then there is Raman Singh, the ex-CM from BJP, who is seeking redemption by leading his party to a win.

Finally, let’s not forget Rajasthan, where Ashok Gehlot will hope to cock a snook at everybody once again. The state has never voted back a party to power. Gehlot believes he can buck that trend.

Mizoram, which voted on November 7, will see its results counted on December 4 — a day after it was originally scheduled. The Election Commission altered the date for tallying votes, citing the significance of Sunday for the predominantly Christian population in the state.

Chhindwara/Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and state Congress president Kamal Nath on Friday voted in their respective constituencies after polling began in the state in the morning.

Chouhan along with his wife Sadhna Singh and their two sons cast their votes in village Jait, part of the Budhni assembly seat in Sehore district, from where he is a BJP candidate.

Before heading to the polling booth, Chouhan offered prayers at a temple in the village.

Nath, his son and Lok Sabha MP Nakul Nath and daughter-in-law also cast their votes at Shikarpur in the Sausar assembly seat of Chhindwara district, the home turf of the state Congress chief. Nath is the Congress candidate from Chhindwara assembly seat.

Prominent among those who voted early in the polls also include home minister Narottam Mishra, sports and youth welfare minister Yashodhara Raje Scindia, industries minister Rajvardhan Singh Dattigaon, former minister and Congress leader Jitu Patwari and MP’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Anupam Rajan.

Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh’s son and former minister Jaivardhan Singh, who is contesting from Raghogarh, also cast his ballot along with his family members.

Polling began at 7 am across all 230 constituencies, including 47 reserved for ST and 35 for the SC, in the state, a poll official said. A total of 2,533 candidates, including 2,280 males, 252 females and one third gender person, are in the fray.

“Ladli Behnas are turning out in large numbers to vote across the state,” Sharma said, referring to the BJP government’s flagship Ladli Behna’ scheme.

Voting will continue till 6 pm in all the polling stations except those in Naxalite-affected areas of Balaghat, Mandla and Dindori districts where it will end at 3 pm, the official said.

At a polling booth in Datia district, poll officials made arrangements for voting in candlelight after the power supply was interrupted. It was restored after about 10 minutes, an eyewitness said.

A total of 64,626 polling stations have been set up in the state. Among these, 64,523 are main booths and 103 associate (sahayak) stations, where the number of electors is more than 1,500, CEO Anupam Rajan said.

As many as 5,60,58,521 voters, including 2,87,82,261 males, 2,71,99,586 females and 1,292 third gender persons, are eligible to exercise their franchise. The total number of voters also includes service and overseas electors, Rajan informed.

HYDERABAD: BRS president and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Thursday filed a nomination from his Gajwel Assembly constituency in Siddipet district for the November 30 assembly polls.

Rao, who reached Gajwel by a chopper, submitted his nomination to the Returning Officer.

BJP MLA Eatala Rajender, a former BRS leader, is taking on KCR in Gajwel, while Congress has fielded Thumkunta Narsa Reddy as its nominee.

Meanwhile, Chandrashekar Rao is also contesting from the Kamareddy constituency in the election.

Polling for the 119-member Telangana assembly would be held on November 30 and the counting of votes would be taken up on December 3.

SATNA: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said every vote of the electorate in Madhya Pradesh has the power of “Trishakti”, to help the BJP form government again in MP, strengthen the PM at the Centre and keep the “corrupt” Congress away from power in the state.

Addressing a rally in Satna ahead of the November 17 assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, Modi said his government has made four crore pucca houses for the poor, but he has “not made even one house for himself.”

The PM said after his government came to power in the country, it removed from records 10 crore fake beneficiaries created by the Congress who were taking benefits of government schemes.

Modi said that is why Congress leaders were abusing him these days, as his government’s move hit them hard. The government has thus saved Rs 2. 75 lakh crore for the people, he said.

Referring to the construction of the Ram temple at Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh, Modi said, “Wherever I go nowadays, there is talk of Lord Ram’s temple being built in Ayodhya. There is a wave of happiness all over the country.”

The prime minister also said, “If we have got a new Parliament building constructed, we have also built 30,000 panchayat buildings. I am happy that due to the double-engine government of the BJP, Madhya Pradesh is one of the states where lakhs of houses were built for the poor.”

In Satna, the poor people have got 1.32 lakh houses, he added. Modi said he has resolved to extend the free ration scheme for the poor, which started during the COVID-19 crisis, for the next five years after December.

He further said two leaders were involved in “tearing clothes” of each other, an apparent reference to MP Congress chief Kamal Nath and Rajya Sabha member Digvijaya Singh over Nath’s recent “tear clothes” jibe.

Both the leaders are telling their supporters to “tear clothes” off each other, the PM said.

“They are fighting to see whose son will take over the MP Congress after getting defeated on December 3 (vote counting day). They are upsetting Madhya Pradesh in a bid to set their sons,” he said.

Praising a musical group from Satna that played a bhajan before his address, Modi said, “It is the strength and power of tunes of music which is coming out from the barrel of a gun.”

When the world is in the midst of crises, the sounds of bombs and guns are being heard all around, and countries like India are trying to create an impact of their idea in the world today, he said.

KHAMMAM: Stating that regional parties are going to play a key role in the coming days, Chief Minister and BRS supremo K Chandrasekhar Rao said the interests of states are going to be protected only if there are regional players.

Addressing election meetings in Khammam and Kothagudem on Sunday, he stated that the Congress and BJP are cut from the same cloth. “Did they (BJP and Congress) ever raise the flag of Telangana? Did they ever take the Telangana struggle on their shoulders? They only insulted us, fired at us and put us in jails whenever we started (Telangana struggle). Why would they have love (towards the state),” he said.

Stating that Khammam was in extremely bad shape when he visited during the Congress regime, the chief minister said the BRS government had transformed the city by spending thousands of crores of public funds. “During the Congress regime, people were suffering due to the shortage of power and water supply. However, people are now getting uninterrupted power supply and ample drinking water,” he added.

“After the BRS wins a record third time and forms a government in Telangana, I will inaugurate the Sita Rama Lift Irrigation Project (SRLIP),” KCR declared. Switching to Urdu, he urged the minorities to vote for the pink party, which, he said, stood up for their rights. The Congress had spent “only Rs 900 crore” for minorities during its regime while the BRS government had already allocated over Rs 12,000 crore, he averred.

Targeting Congress leaders Thummala Nageswara Rao and Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy, he termed them ‘Karkataka damanulu’ (cunning). KCR mentioned that Khammam had become peaceful now that both the leaders had left the pink party.

The BRS chief said Srinivasa Reddy had earlier prevented party candidates from contesting for an Assembly seat from the erstwhile Khammam district. “People will not tolerate such antics and taught him a befitting lesson,” he remarked.

Additionally, he urged the residents to vote for Transport Minister Puvvada Ajay Kumar, who is the BRS candidate from Khammam. Addressing the crowd in Khammam, Ajay said, “I did my utmost during my nine-year tenure as the minister for Khammam. If the people bless me again, I will continue to work for development and address the concerns of the people.”

Khammam MP Nama Nageswara Rao, Rajya Sabha member Vaddiraju Ravichandra, MLAs Kandala Upender Reddy and Sandra Venkata Veeraiah, MLC Tata Madhu and others also participated in the event.

KCR says BRS govt transformed SCCL

At the meeting in Kothagudem, the chief minister stated that the BRS government had successfully turned the Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL), which was ignored by the Congress during its regime, into a profitable enterprise. He highlighted that under the State government, the company’s turnover had increased from Rs 11,000 crore to Rs 33,000 crore. Furthermore, the government implemented a 3% increment to employees and created about 15,256 dependent jobs. Additionally, the compensation for the death of employees increased from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 10 lakh under the BRS government, KCR added. Approximately 22,000 house site pattas were distributed under GO 76 in Kothagudem, he stated.Kothagudem BRS candidate, Vanama Venkateswara Rao, and other party members were also in attendance at the event.

Ajay in no position to criticise others: Thummala

Former minister and Congress candidate for Khammam, Thummala Nageswara Rao, responded to BRS leaders over their allegations and remarks.He pointed out that Ajay Kumar had changed parties four times and, as a result, does not have the right to criticise others.

He also mentioned that due to Ajay Kumar, his father, Nageswara Rao, had become unpopular. Additionally, he stated that he had attempted to protect the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) until the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh. It was only when KCR requested his support that he joined the BRS, he added.

Thummala drew an analogy, likening KCR to a non-useful “vayyari bhama” and suggested that a “tumma” tree would be more beneficial for farmers. He further alleged that Ajay Kumar had misappropriated funds related to Gollapadu channel works and accused him of installing central lighting systems on small streets for commissions.

Additionally, the Congress leader claimed that he had played a role in KCR obtaining a ministerial position in former chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu’s cabinet.He said that lying was not a new occurrence for the BRS supremo, and thus, his statements should be taken with caution. Tummala said people are ready to vote against Ajay Kumar on November 30.