Meet Ramana Reddy, Who Beat Both A Chief Minister And Chief Minister Probable

The relatively unknown BJP candidate from the Kamareddy seat has emerged as a giant killer, beating not only Congress' Telangana unit chief Revanth Reddy, who is seen as a chief minister probable, but also two-term chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao, who was once seen as invincible in the state.

Ramana Reddy polled a total of 66,652 votes, beating KCR by over 6,700 votes and Revanth Reddy by nearly 12,000. Speaking to reporters after his victory, Ramana Reddy said he did not see his opponents as a chief minister or a chief minister probable but just as two candidates from the Bharat Rashtra Samithi and the Congress. 

"I saw them as normal candidates and myself as a BJP candidate. I won because of the support of the common man. I am not the MLA of the 65,000 people who voted for me. I am the MLA of the 2.5 lakh voters and 4.5 lakh people in the constituency," Ramana Reddy said in Hindi. 

The 53-year-old was once with the BRS before switching sides and joining the BJP. Despite not having a college education, his election affidavit states that his total declared assets are Rs 49.7 crore. Located around 120 km from Hyderabad, the Kamareddy constituency has been won by the BRS since 2014, when the state was formed, adding to the enormity of Ramana Reddy's achievement.

As per the latest trends, the leader is one of eight from the BJP who have won or are leading in Telangana. While the number seems small, it is eight times the figure that the BJP won in the 2018 Assembly polls, when it had managed to emerge victorious in just one constituency.