BRS party’s go-to guy

Warangal: Even in a gathering of thousands, it’s easy to pick the Jangaon MLA Palla Rajeshwar Reddy. The lanky academician-turned-politician made a distinct identity for himself in education and politics.

Palla was associated with the Students’ Federation of India (SFI), a subsidiary of CPM, before switching to Right-wing politics. He started his political career with the TRS (now BRS) in 2014 and contested unsuccessfully from Nalgonda Lok Sabha constituency. He may have lost his first election, but it didn’t take much time for him to establish himself as a go-to guy in the BRS party affairs due to his management skills, not to mention his proximity to former chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao.

Though Palla preferred to become an MLA, there was no vacant constituency up for grabs for him in the erstwhile Warangal district. However, twice he was elected as the Member of Legislative Council (MLC) from the Nalgonda-Khammam-Warangal Graduates Constituency. Finally, the 61-year-old Palla had his opportunity to get into the Assembly from the Jangaon seat in 2023. However, his party lost power, Palla is confident of developing his constituency.

On the academic front, Pallacompleted his MSc. and PhD from Osmania University and worked as a faculty before establishing Anurag Group of Institutions. He is the recipient of Dr Tamahanker Memorial Prize of the Magnetic Society of India for the Best Research Paper. Palla who hails from a nondescript Shodashapally village (now in Hanumakonda district) grew colossus and continues to be a key member in the KCR camp.