Telangana Results: Revanth Reddy emerges the driving force in Congress surge

He thanked Congress allies in the polls, CPI and Telangana Jana Samithi, for their support.

With the Congress set for a resounding victory in Telangana, Revanth Reddy has emerged as the driving force behind this triumph.

The 54-year-old Congress leader from the Malkajgiri Lok Sabha constituency also leads the league of CM probables. In the course of his two-decade political journey, Reddy has shifted his loyalty several times. He began his career with the BJP student wing Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and stayed with the saffron squad till 2007 when he moved to the Telugu Desam Party (TDP). Reddy became a legislator in 2009 with a TDP ticket in undivided Andhra Pradesh and again in 2014 in Telangana. He called it quits to the  TDP in 2017 and moved to the Congress camp. In 2019, he became a member of the Lok Sabha. Reddy's rise summitted when he became the state president of the Congress in 2021.

As a parliamentarian, Reddy challenged the K Chandrashekar Rao-led BRS leadership in the state, significantly bolstering the Grand Old Party’s presence.

Despite facing protests and criticism within the Congress, especially during the distribution of tickets for the 2023 Assembly polls, he enjoyed the support of central leaders such as Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi.

Reddy was seen engaged actively in high-profile rallies and roadshows, leading up to the polls, and a sea of crowd was seen when he filed his nomination against KCR in the BRS stronghold of Kamareddy.

As state president of the party, Reddy showed his presence on the ground, spearheading protests against various issues under the ruling BRS government.

On exit polls predicting victory for the Congress, Reddy had said his party will have a landslide victory and anticipated 80 seats.