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Published Aug 11, 2025 | 5:00 PM ⚊ Updated Aug 11, 2025 | 5:00 PM
Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy.
Synopsis: In MLA Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy’s mind, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy is the single, immovable roadblock between him and a minister’s chair—a political traffic signal light that has permanently stuck on red.
It has been four days since Munugode Congress MLA Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy met Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar in Hyderabad, and the political grapevine is still buzzing.
No one knows what was discussed, but whisperers in political corridors are convinced that Rajagopal Reddy, still smarting over being denied a cabinet berth, poured his heart out to Shivakumar.
In Rajagopal’s mind, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy is the single, immovable roadblock between him and a minister’s chair—a political traffic signal light that has permanently stuck on red.
Finding no helping hand in Telangana—not even from his minister-brother, Komatireddy Venkata Reddy- Rajagopal decided to knock on the door next door. His reasoning? If you can’t get Delhi’s attention from Hyderabad, maybe Bengaluru can put in a word. After all, he believes that the Congress high command is not exactly sending Revanth Reddy love letters these days, so perhaps this is the right moment to “strike the iron while it’s politically lukewarm.”
The animosity between Rajagopal and Revanth Reddy is hardly news. They’ve been on opposite poles since Revanth took charge as PCC president. Back then, Rajagopal was still in Congress, trying hard to keep Revanth’s ambitions bottled up. When that didn’t work, he quit the party, resigned as MLA, joined the BJP, and contested the Munugode bypoll—only to lose narrowly.
Come the general elections, Rajagopal read the political weather forecast, realised BJP clouds weren’t bringing any rain in Telangana, and promptly returned to Congress. The high command welcomed him with a promise of a cabinet berth if the party came to power. The party did win, but—in a cruel twist of fate—Revanth Reddy ended up as the chief minister, and Rajagopal’s ministerial dreams were left hanging.
In 2024, when the Lok Sabha elections came around, the party renewed its promise but asked him to first help Bhongir Lok Sabha candidate Chamala Kiran Kumar Reddy. Rajagopal obliged, lent his contacts and influence, and has been waiting for his reward ever since. A year later, he’s still waiting.
Feeling cornered, Rajagopal has been openly needling Revanth Reddy in recent weeks—objecting to his 10-year-in-office boast, criticising his “I’ll slap social media journalists” remark.
Now, with brother Venkata Reddy too being unable to lobby for him (already being a minister himself), Rajagopal hopes Shivakumar can play political postman to Delhi. He has planted the seed—whether it grows into a ministerial plant or withers away in the desert of party apathy is the suspense he’s currently living with.
Adding extra spice, he has accused about 20 Andhra contractors of “looting Telangana,” implying that Revanth was awarding works to people in Andhra Pradesh. He probably was suggesting that Revanth’s “Andhra weakness” is because N Chandrababu Naidu is his “friend, philosopher, and guide.”
Rajagopal, for now, is keeping his political fingers crossed—and perhaps practising how he should take the oath if the elusive cabinet berth finally comes his way.
