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Rise and rise of Telangana CM, fading of KCR from political domain, arrest of Allu Arjun mark 2024
Inheriting the near-empty state coffers, Revanth Reddy spent the initial months struggling to implement his pre-election guarantees
The year 2024 was marked by political upheavals, significant highs and lows for parties, and moments of both celebrations and disappointments for the people of Telangana. The state also witnessed intense political slugfests and controversies that grabbed national headlines.
The year began with the Congress, led by chief minister A Revanth Reddy, consolidating its power after its victory in the assembly elections on November 30 last year. The Congress decimated the nine-and-a-half-year-old Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government, led by K Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR), who was previously perceived as an invincible leader.
The Congress, which secured a thin majority of 64 out of 119 seats in the assembly elections, managed to bolster its strength by attracting 10 MLAs from the BRS, along with winning a by-election to the Secunderabad Cantonment assembly seat in June.
Inheriting the near-empty state coffers, Revanth Reddy spent the initial months struggling to implement his pre-election guarantees. Initially, he managed to roll out a few promises, such as free travel for women in state-run RTC buses and an increase in the free healthcare coverage limit for the poor in corporate hospitals from ₹5 lakh to ₹10 lakh.
After several months of mobilising resources through borrowings and other financial measures, the government fulfilled key promises, including supplying LPG cylinders at ₹500 for poor women, free electricity for households consuming below 200 units, and a major crop loan waiver of up to ₹2 lakh for 2.5 million farmers, costing over ₹21,000 crore.
However, the chief minister remains under immense pressure to implement other promises, such as extending financial assistance under the Rythu Bharosa scheme and aid to destitute women.
The Revanth Reddy government also launched a comprehensive socio-economic, employment, political, and caste survey on November 6, fulfilling an electoral promise made by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.
POLITICAL UPS AND DOWNS
The Congress continued its momentum by winning eight out of 17 Lok Sabha seats in the May general elections, an increase of five seats from 2019. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) also made significant gains, winning eight seats, up from its previous tally of three.
The All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) retained one seat, while the BRS faced humiliation by failing to win any Lok Sabha seat. The outcome solidified the Congress and BJP as the dominant forces in Telangana’s political landscape.
One of the year’s most sensational political events was the arrest of BRS MLC and KCR’s daughter, Kavitha, in connection with the Delhi liquor policy case. Arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on March 15, Kavitha spent 165 days in jail before being granted bail by the Supreme Court after a prolonged legal battle.
The arrest, coupled with the party’s electoral defeats and defections of key leaders and MLAs to the Congress, significantly weakened the BRS. Adding to the party’s troubles was KCR’s prolonged silence and limited public appearances, except during brief engagements in the parliamentary election campaign.
While party insiders termed KCR’s silence as “strategic”, opposition leaders from the Congress and BJP interpreted it as a sign of political decline. KCR attended the assembly only once this year in his role as the Leader of the Opposition, raising concerns about his political future.
In a bid to revive the party, KCR’s son KT Rama Rao (KTR) and nephew T Harish Rao have taken on key leadership roles. However, KTR faced legal troubles as the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) named him Accused No. 1 (A-1) in the Formula-E race scandal. Though the high court stayed his arrest pending a verdict on his quash petition, the case remains a cloud over the party’s stability.
Amid speculations of KTR’s possible arrest, Kavitha has gradually taken on an active role in the party affairs and is reportedly preparing to assume party leadership if required.
CONTROVERSIES GALORE
While striving to fulfil pre-election promises, chief minister Revanth Reddy also stirred controversies, often attributed to his inexperience and over-ambitious approach. The establishment of the Hyderabad Disaster Response and Assets Monitoring and Protection Authority (HYDRAA) to demolish illegal constructions on lake beds and buffer zones quickly drew public backlash.
Similarly, the abrupt demolition of poor households along the Musi river bank triggered strong protests and provided ammunition to opposition parties — BRS and BJP — to rally against the government.
Another flashpoint was the proposed land acquisition at Lagacharla village in Vikarabad district for constructing a pharma cluster. Faced with public resistance, the government was forced to withdraw its plans.
Revanth Reddy sought to counter these setbacks with announcements of ambitious projects such as the Musi Riverfront Project, Fourth City, Skill University, and Sports University. However, these initiatives failed to generate significant public enthusiasm.
The heavy rains and floods in Telangana in September posed another major challenge to the government. The deluge, which claimed over 35 lives, caused significant damage, with Khammam town experiencing its worst floods in three decades as the Munneru rivulet inundated large areas.
Outside the political realm, the arrest of popular Telugu film star Allu Arjun in connection with the death of a woman during a stampede at Sandhya Theatre in Hyderabad on December 4 created nationwide controversy. The incident occurred during the premiere of his film, “Pushpa-2: The Rule”. Although Allu Arjun was granted interim bail by the high court, the case remains ongoing.
In an effort to manage the fallout, film industry representatives met the chief minister, who reiterated that law and order remain paramount, with no exceptions for the film industry.
As Telangana’s political landscape looks towards 2025, all three major parties — Congress, BJP, and BRS — are strategising for the battles ahead. Whether KCR will break his silence and KTR can overcome his legal challenges remain pivotal questions for the state’s political future.
