Devineni Uma Maheswara Rao

Devineni Uma Maheswara Rao
Minister for Irrigation, Command Area Development & Water Resources Management
Government of Andhra Pradesh
In office
8 Jun 2014 – 29 May 2019
GovernorE. S. L. Narasimhan
Chief MinisterN. Chandrababu Naidu
Succeeded byAnil Kumar Poluboina
Member of Legislative Assembly
Andhra Pradesh
In office
2009–2019
Preceded byChanamolu Venkata Rao
Succeeded byVasantha Krishna Prasad
ConstituencyMylavaram
In office
1999–2009
Preceded byDevineni Venkata Ramana
Succeeded byTangirala Prabhakara Rao
ConstituencyNandigama
Personal details
Born (1962-03-29) 29 March 1962 (age 62)
Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, India
Political partyTelugu Desam Party
Children2
RelativesDevineni Venkata Ramana (brother)
Devineni Nehru (cousin brother)
Residence(s)Gollapudi, Krishna district, Andhra Pradesh, India

Devineni Uma Maheswara Rao, (born 1962) better known as Uma, is a politician in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. He was elected to the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly for four terms in 1999, 2004, 2009 and 2014. He also served as a minister in the N. Chandrababu Naidu government from 2014 to 2019.

Early life and education

Rao is born in Vijayawada. He has two children, Nihar and Gnathavya.

Career

He was elected as an MLA for the first time in 1999 from the Nandigama Constituency and retained the assembly seat in 2004.[1] Later, he shifted to Mylavaram Constituency and won in 2009 and 2014, also on Telugu Desam ticket. He served as the president of the Krishna District Telugu Desam Party and went on to become the General Secretary of the party. In March 2024, he was made the coordinator of TDP for the parliament and assembly elections.[2] But later, he was dropped from contesting from Mylavaram Constituency in the 2024 Assembly Election.[3] For the Mylavaram seat, TDP nominated Vasantha Venkata Krishna Prasad, who quit YSRCP and joined the party in February 2024.[4][5]

Controversies

Rao was arrested in November 2011 on alleged charges of obstructing government officials from doing their duty at a mass contact programme, named Rachhabanda.[6] On 28 July 2021, Rao was arrested along with 17 others on charges of alleged rioting at G. Kondur police station, in Krishna district.[7] Two days later, the police placed Rao and a few other Telugu Desam leaders under house arrest to prevent them from undertaking a fact-finding visit to Kondapalli Reserve Forest.[8] Rao was not nominated for any other seat and the 2024 election will not have a Devineni after a many decades.[9]

References

  1. ^ "'Hattrick' leaders test their luck for the fourth time". The Times of India. 6 May 2014. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  2. ^ Bureau, The Hindu (29 March 2024). "Devineni Uma appointed TDP coordinator for general elections". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 20 April 2024. {{cite news}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  3. ^ Viswanath, S. (2 March 2024). "What will be Devineni Umamaheswara Rao's fate now?". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  4. ^ Service, Express News (5 February 2024). "YSRC MLA Vasantha faces hurdle from former minister Devineni Umamaheswara Rao". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  5. ^ "TDP releases fresh list of candidates for LS, Andhra state elections". Hindustan Times. 23 March 2024. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  6. ^ "TDP MLA Umamaheswara Rao arrested". The Hindu. Chennai (Madras), Tamil Nadu. 5 November 2011.
  7. ^ Srinivas, Rajulapudi (28 July 2021). "Former A.P. minister Devineni Uma, TDP leaders booked for rioting". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  8. ^ Reporter, Staff (30 July 2021). "TDP leaders placed under house arrest". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  9. ^ "Is TDP Facing First Election Without Devineni?". indiaherald.com. Retrieved 20 April 2024.