Congress improves performance, Revanth Reddy gets credit despite BJP surge

HYDERABAD: Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy saw his leadership tested in the recent Lok Sabha elections. Despite the Congress party's national success in crossing the 100-seat mark for the first time in a decade and increasing from 3 to 8 seats in Telangana, these achievements did not bring him much cheer.

Revanth Reddy had set a high target for the Congress in Telangana, aiming to win 15 out of 17 seats. During the campaign, he and other party leaders confidently projected a win of 13-14 seats. However, the results fell short, with the Congress securing only 8 seats, the same number as the BJP. The BJP's victories in Malkajgiri and Mahabubnagar, in particular, were significant blows to Reddy.

In 2019, Revanth Reddy won the Malkajgiri Lok Sabha constituency with a majority of 10,919 votes. He represented the constituency until December 2023, when he resigned after being elected as MLA from Kodangal and assumed the role of Chief Minister of Telangana. However, the Congress failed to retain the Malkajgiri seat in this election, with BJP candidate Eatala Rajender winning by 3,91,475votes against Congress candidate Patnam Suneetha Mahender Reddy.

The Mahabubnagar seat was another critical loss for Revanth Reddy, as his Kodangal constituency is part of this Lok Sabha seat. BJP National Vice-President DK Aruna won Mahabubnagar, defeating Congress candidate Challa Vamshichand Reddy by nearly 4,500 votes. Sitting MP Manne Srinivas Reddy of BRS stood third.

Although the Congress made gains, Revanth Reddy could not secure the party's victory in these two key constituencies.

Adding to his challenges, Congress suffered a defeat in the Mahabubnagar local bodies' MLC election. Naveen Kumar Reddy of BRS won the MLC by-poll on Telangana Formation Day, defeating the Congress candidate by 109 votes. As Kodangal MLA, Revanth Reddy was also a voter in this local bodies MLC constituency.