Kotla-KE tie-up secures Dhone for Kotla family

Kurnool: The political tie-up between the Kotla and KE groups in the Dhone constituency finally fetched Kotla Surya Prakash Reddy's win with a small majority.

During the elections, the opposition alliance also benefited the KE family, where KE Shyam Kumar, son of KE Krishna Murthy, was successful in winning the Pathikonda seat.

After a decade-long hiatus, senior Telugu Desam leader Kotla Jayasurya Prakash Reddy made a triumphant return to the AP Assembly. Having served as MP from Kurnool for three terms between 1991 and 2014, he is now stepping into the legislative assembly.

He defeated his nearest rival, finance minister Buggana Rajendranath, by a margin of 6,049 votes.

The Dhone assembly constituency has been previously represented by notable figures such as Neelam Sanjiva Reddy, Vijaya Bhaskar Reddy and KE Krishna Murthy.

Surya Prakash Reddy's wife, Sujathamma, represented Dhone from 2004 to 2009, while he served as the Union minister of state for Railways during the UPA government from 2009 to 2014.

After a gap, the Kotla family strategically planned their return to the political arena. They forged an alliance with their long-time rivals, the KE group, in a bid to consolidate their political influence. This strategic move paid dividends, as they managed to garner support from his previous supporters and overcome the criticism leveled by the ruling party legislator, Buggana Rajendranath, over their absence from the political scene for the past decade.

The election also witnessed the return of KE Krishna Murthy's son, Shyam Kumar, who won the Pathikonda assembly seat after facing defeat in the 2019 polls. The KE family had previously held the Pathikonda seat in 2009 and 2014.

The electoral outcomes in Dhone and Pathikonda have proven to be beneficial for both the Reddy and KE factions, as they have regained their political foothold in the region after a decade-long absence.