Winning 14 of 17 seats is my target

Anumula Revanth Reddy is on a mission to demonstrate a democratic and egalitarian facet of power and leadership.

- RAHUL DEVULAPALLI

A. REVANTH REDDY
CHIEF MINISTER, TELANGANA

The new chief minister of Telangana started by pulling down the iron barricades outside Pragathi Bhavan, which served as the official residence of former chief minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao in the heart of Hyderabad, and turning it into a place for public grievance redressal. Reddy has refused official accommodation, has cut down the number of vehicles in his convoy, has trimmed the security detail and has asked officials not to stop traffic during his movement in peak hours.

While Reddy says his priority is to establish an efficient administration, his focus is now on the Lok Sabha elections. Telangana votes on May 13 for its 17 seats and Reddy has set himself an ambitious target of winning at least 14 seats. THE WEEK had an exclusive interaction with him at his plush Jubilee Hills residence in Hyderabad. A bylane, which goes steep up and is barricaded by the police, takes one to the chief minister’s house. Upon entering the compound, leaders and important visitors are sent to the basement-turned-office. The walls of Reddy’s office are adorned with eye-catching photos from his public meetings over the years. A series of steps leads to a lawn and a meeting room where the chief minister usually has his informal meetings and press interactions. We were asked to wait for a few minutes after which the chief minister appeared, clad in casuals. Sipping tea, he spoke about the administrative challenges, allegations of the opposition, Prime Minister Modi’s march in the Deccan region and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s impact on politics. Excerpts:

Q/ How do you feel after completing more than 100 days as chief minister?