Telangana: Damodar Raja Narasimha’s victory coincides with Congress wins in last 34 years

Raja Narasimha, who won from Andole constituency this time, had recorded the fourth victory of his political career. Since 1989, Raja Narasimha, the former Deputy CM of AP, contested from Andole nine times

Sangareddy: The wins and losses of the Congress and Damodar Raja Narasimha have always coincided in the last 34 years in the State.

Raja Narasimha, who won from Andole constituency this time, had recorded the fourth victory of his political career. Since 1989, Raja Narasimha, the former Deputy Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, contested from Andole nine times. He won four times and lost five times. Interestingly, the Congress has formed a government every time he won as MLA from Andole. Raja Narasimha, son of former Minister and three-time Andole MLA Raja Narasimha, had contested from Andole in 1989 for the first time after his father’s death.

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The Congress swept the polls in 1989 after six years of Telugu Desam Party (TDP) rule when Raja Narasimha also tasted his first electoral success. However, he lost two consecutive elections in 1994 and 1999, and both times, the Congress remained in the Opposition. He had contested the by-election in 1998 in Andole and lost the election for a third consecutive time. The Congress formed an alliance with Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) and Left parties in 2004 and the alliance stormed to victory. Raja Narasimha too secured his second victory that time and became a Minister in YS Rajasekhara Reddy’s government.

He won for the second consecutive time in 2009 as the Congress too won for the second consecutive time. Rajasekhara Reddy inducted Raja Narasimha into his cabinet again. Following the sudden death of Rajasekhara Reddy, the Congress made Raja Narasimha the Deputy Chief Minister in N Kiran Kumar Reddy’s government in the changing political scenario. After the formation of the State, Raja Narasimha lost the elections in 2014 and 2018. The Congress too lost and remained in the Opposition for 10 years.

Now, when the Congress has won again, Raja Narasimha too won, for the fourth time. Party sources say he is tipped to get a berth in the first Congress government in Telangana State.