Who is Revanth Reddy, the new Telangana Congress president?

Revanth was defeated in the 2018 Telangana assembly polls

Over seven months after the resignation of Uttam Kumar Reddy following the dismal performance of the party in various polls, the Telangana Congress has got a new president.

Anumula Revanth Reddy took charge as the president of the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee on Wednesday. The party leadership, which deliberated on several names, weighing in all the political-electoral factors, finally announced Revanth's name about a fortnight back.

Revanth, known for his fiery speeches especially targeting chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, was in his initial years in politics associated with the Telangana Rashtra Samiti. His political activism however began as an ABVP leader.

Miffed over not being given an opportunity to contest, Revanth left the TRS to become a Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituency member in 2006 and an MLC in 2008 - both as an independent.

Attracting the attention of TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu in the united state, Revanth later joined the TDP and was twice elected from Kodangal assembly constituency, in 2009 and 2014.

Revanth is one of the accused in the cash for vote scam during the 2015 Telangana MLC polls, when he was closely associated with Naidu. With the TDP's influence gradually waning in Telangana, Revanth joined the Congress in October 2017.

Revanth, who was defeated in the 2018 Telangana assembly polls, was elected to the Lok Sabha in the 2019 general elections from Malkajgiri.

The elevation of Revanth now, from the working president post, and within four years of him joining the grand old party has angered some of the senior hopefuls. Congress MP from Bhongir Komatireddi Venkat Reddy vented out his ire publicly.

Assuming office on Wednesday, Revanth launched an attack on CM Rao, accusing him of administrative mismanagement and amassing power within the family. Revanth said the whole credit for Telangana formation is deserved by Sonia Gandhi, who granted statehood at the cost of Congress's demise in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh.

To pose a real challenge to Rao in the electoral arena, analysts opine, the 51-year-old needs to take along all the Congress leaders in order to make the party regain strength in the state where the BJP is gaining ground in preparation for the 2023 polls.