Hyderabad: All Congress stalwarts were defeated in the Telangana Assembly elections. Some of them had projected themselves as Chief Ministerial candidates if the People's Front won the elections.
Out of 13 Congress MLAs in the dissolved Assembly, only two were re-elected. In the previous election in 2014, the Congress won 22 Assembly seats but this time its tally fell to 19 seats. Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president N. Uttam Kumar Reddy (Huzurnagar) and TPCC campaign committee chairman Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka (Madhira) both won. Opposition leader in the dissolved Assembly, K. Jana Reddy, who has won seven times, was defeated by TRS candidate and his old rival Nomula Narasimhaiah in Nagarjunasagar.
Former deputy chief minister Damodar Raja Narasimha, who hoped to be made chief minister if the alliance won, was defeated in Andole Assembly constituency. Former Union minister Sarvey Satyanarayana was defeated from Secunderabad Cantonment Assembly constituency by the TRS’ G. Sayanna. Former minister J. Geetha Reddy was defeated from Zaheerabad assembly constituency.
Congress MLAs G. Chinna Reddy (Wanaparthy), Challa Vamsichand Reddy (Kalvakurthy), S.A. Sampath Kumar (Alampur), T. Jeevan Reddy (Jagityal), Donti Madhava Reddy (Narasampet), Komatireddy Venkatareddy (Nalgonda), D. K. Aruna (Gadwal), and T. Rammohan Reddy (Parigi) were also defeated.
Prominent Congress leaders such as Ponnala Lakshmaiah (Jangaon), Sunitha Laxma Reddy (Narsapur), P Sudarshan Reddy (Bodhan), Shabbier Ali (Kamareddy), Nagam Janardhan Reddy (Nagarkunool) were also defeated.
Surprisingly, it was first-time Congress candidates who defeated sitting ministers. In Tandur Assembly constituency, Transport Minister P. Mahendar Reddy was defeated by first-time Congress candidate Pilot Rohit Reddy, and in Palair Assembly constituency Roads and Building Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao was defeated by Congress candidate Upendar Reddy. In Kolhapur Assembly constituency, Congress candidate B. Harshavardhan Reddy defeated Panchayat Raj Minister Jupally Krishna Rao.
Tribal Welfare Minister Chandulal was defeated in Mulugu Assembly constituency by Congress candidate Dasari Anasuya alias Seethakka. Telangana Assembly speaker Madgusudanachary was defeated by former MLA and Congress candidate Gandra Venkata Ramana Reddy from Bhupalpally. Controversial Congress leader and former MLA T. Jayaprakash Reddy alias Jagga Reddy won from Sangareddy Assembly constituency.
