They made their presence felt in various roles in the Assembly over the last 35 years and also left their mark on the sessions and public life. Some of these senior politicians in Telangana will not be seen in the new Assembly to be formed after December 3, 2023, as they are staying away from the Telangana Assembly Elections 2023.
The senior most among these is Congress leader Kunduru Jana Reddy, who made his entry into electoral politics in 1978 contesting from Chalakurti constituency in Nalgonda district as a Janata Party candidate. Though he lost the elections he later joined the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and won in 1983 and 1985, and served in the late N.T. Rama Rao cabinet. After leaving the TDP over differences with N.T. Rama Rao, he joined the Congress in 1989, won and served as a Minister in several Congress governments.
His winning streak continued until 2018, though he lost only once in 1994. The Chalakurti constituency was abolished in delimitation and made way for Nagarjuna Sagar in 2009, from where he won. However, his loss in 2018 surprised many given his stature. Now he is staying away from the contest while his son, K. Jayaveer Reddy, is the Congress candidate from Nagarjunsagar.
Another senior candidate who will not be in the fray this time is former PCC chief and former Minister Ponnala Lakshmaiah, who was denied the ticket from the Jangaon constituency forcing him to join the Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS). A US-educated first-generation entrepreneur, Mr. Lakshmaiah contested for the first time in 1985 and lost. However, he won in 1989, 1999, 2004 and 2009 elections.
When Telangana was formed he was made the first PCC president in 2014 but lost to the ruling BRS candidate. The result repeated in 2018 and now the party has denied him ticket, taking into account the winnability factor. Unable to bear the ‘insult’, he has joined his arch rival Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao and now part of the BRS.
A former Minister known for his outspokenness is Nagam Janardhan Reddy, who too would be staying away after the Congress party refused to field him from Nagarkurnool in the 2023 elections. He immediately joined the BRS. Mr. Reddy, a former Minister in the TDP government started his career in 1983 without success.
However, he won in 1985, 1994, 1999, 2004 and 2009 as a TDP MLA from Nagarkurnool. He also won the by-poll in 2012 at the peak of the Telangana movement as an Independent candidate. Severing his ties with the TDP over separate Telangana issue, he joined the BJP in 2013 and stayed in the party till 2018. Just before the 2018 elections, he joined the Congress and lost in his constituency. He was expecting the ticket in 2023 but the Congress fielded a young leader K. Rakesh Reddy, son of Mr. Janardhan Reddy’s arch political rival Kuchukulla Damodar Reddy.
One of the senior most female politicians, J. Geetha Reddy too won’t be seen in the electoral battle this time. She won from Gajwel (then reserved for SC candidates) in 1989 and later shifted to Zaheerabad which was reserved for SCs in the delimitation. She tasted success in 2009 and 2014 but lost in 2018 elections. Due to ill-health, she has been away from politics in the last couple of years.
Another firebrand woman leader D.K. Aruna too won’t be in the fray. An MLA from Gadwal in 1999 as a Congress candidate, she won in 2004 on Samajwadi Party ticket as a part of some political adjustment. She won in 2009 and 2014 but lost in 2018 to the TRS wave. The two women served as ministers in the Congress governments. She joined the BJP in 2019 but is staying away from the contest this time.
Another prominent absentee would be former Minister G. Chinna Reddy, whose name was announced for the Wanaparthy constituency initially but later withdrawn by the Congress. A four-time MLA, he won in 1989, 1999, 2004 and 2014. He lost twice, in 1994 and 2009.
Two other prominent leaders who won’t be contesting this time but are still active in the government are state BJP chief, G. Kishan Reddy who has decided to stay away from the 2023 elections and not contesting from Amberpet constituency. He lost in 2018 Assembly elections but won in 2019 Parliament elections and was made Union Minister.
Mr. Patnam Mahender Reddy, Minister in the present government, lost the 2018 Assembly elections to rank newcomer Rohit Reddy in Tandur constituency. However, he was made an MLC and was recently inducted as a Minister in the BRS government to avoid his defection to the Congress.
