Munugode MLA, Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy, known for stoking controversies and speaking his heart out on any platform, has created political buzz in Telangana. He said that the Chief Minister in the Congress is elected by the party high command and with the support of the MLAs.

In his post on ‘X’ on Saturday, Mr. Rajagopal Reddy disapproved Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy’s claims that for the next 10 years Telangana will be ruled by the Palamuru son – a reference that points to Mr. Revanth Reddy himself. Mr. Revanth Reddy made these statements at a public meeting in Jataprolu in Kollapur constituency of Nagarkurnool district on Friday (July 19, 2025).

Tagging a Telugu news report in the post, Mr. Rajagopal Reddy said that Mr. Revanth Reddy announcing that he would be the Chief Minister for the bext 10 years was contrary to the Congress party policies.

He said, in the post written in Telugu, that, “In Congress, the selection of the Chief Minister is democratic, as per the wishes of the party high command. Sincere Congress leaders and workers will not tolerate any attempts to turn Telangana Congress into a personal empire.”

Mr. Rajagopal Reddy, younger brother of Telangana Roads and Buildings Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, has been an aspirant for the ministerial berth and it was one of the conditions before he joined the Congress party from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) just before the 2023 Assembly elections in the State.

However, Mr. Rajagopal Reddy was denied a berth in the Cabinet initially as his brother, Mr. Venkat Reddy, a senior Congressman, was chosen. The Munugode MLA waited for the expansion, but the party was unable to accommodate him citing too many aspirants from the politically powerful Reddy community.

All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary K.C. Venugopal had conveyed to him the reasons for excluding him in the Cabinet expansion but that did not satisfy the outspoken leader. However, he was hopeful that he would be considered in the vacancies in Cabinet, which the Congress may not fill till the local body elections are over.

Mr. Rajagopal Reddy’s resignation from the Congress and as MLA in August 2022 forced a bypoll in Munugode where he contested on a BJP ticket again.

The poll, considered to be one of the costliest in history, saw a see-saw battle between the then-ruling BRS and the BJP. Though he lost by a narrow margin, it pushed the BJP to new heights in Telangana, raising its hopes of replacing the BRS. The earlier bypoll of Huzurabad, where BRS dissident Etala Rajender defeated the BRS candidate as a BJP nominee, and Raghunandan Rao winning in Dubbak bypoll gave the BJP new strength.

However, him rejoining Congress in October 2023 helped the party change the perception that the BJP was out of the race in Telangana in 2023 Assembly elections.