Indian politician
Patlolla Sabitha Indra Reddy (born 5 May 1963) is an Indian politician from Telangana and a five time Member of Legislative Assembly. She was the Minister for Education of Telangana state during 2019-23.[2] She was elected twice from Chevella assembly constituency in 2000 and 2004 and thrice from Maheshwaram constituency in 2009, 2018 and 2023.
Early life
Sabitha Indra Reddy was born on 5 May 1963 in Medak to Mahipal Reddy and Venkatamma. She was married to P. Indra Reddy (died 2000), and the couple has three sons.[3]
Career
Indra Reddy started her political career with the Indian National Congress and in 2009 became the first acting woman Home Minister of a state in India, serving until 2014.[4][5]
She held the position of Mines and Geology Minister in the earlier government of Andhra Pradesh from 2004 to 2009.[4] After winning the 2018 Telangana Legislative Assembly Election she joined Bharat Rashtra Samithi in 2019.
2000 by-elections
She was pushed into politics after her husband had passed away in a road accident. She contested the 2000 by election on a Congress ticket from Chevella assembly constituency against KLR who is an industrialist and politician. She won the election with a majority of 29,909 votes.[6]
2004 general elections
In 2004, she beat the TDP candidate and won the Chevella seat. She won with a majority of 41,585 votes. Consequently, YSR inducted her into the Cabinet as Minister of Mines and Geology.[7]
2009 general elections
This election happened just after the constituency delimitation. As a result of this, her bastion Chevella constituency was changed to be an SC-reserved constituency. This resulted in her changing her constituency to the newly formed Maheshwaram (Assembly constituency). Though she moved few days prior to the election to the new constituency, she beat the local stalwart Teegala Krishna Reddy by a margin of 8000 votes. Thus, she became the first female Home Minister of Andhra Pradesh and a first female home minister to any state in India.[8]
2014 general elections
Due to Congress party's decision of one family one ticket rule that year, she had made way for her son Karthik Reddy, who made his electoral debut contesting Chevella Lok Sabha seat, but lost the election.[9] She did not contest the 2014 elections.[10]
2018 general elections
Despite a strong TRS wave in the 2018 Telangana Legislative Assembly Election, she managed to win on a Congress ticket. Later, she joined the ruling party and became a cabinet minister in KCR cabinet.[11] She defeated Teegala Krishna Reddy of TRS by a margin of 9.227 votes.[11]
2023 General elections
Reddy won her 5th election on a BRS ticket in the 2023 Telangana Legislative Assembly Election from Maheshwaram despite a strong anti-BRS wave. She defeated Andela Sriramulu Yadav of BJP by a margin of 26,187 votes.[12]
Controversy
In 2011, Central Bureau of Investigation arrested V. D. Rajagopal and Y. Srilakshmi, as third and fourth accused respectively in the investigation into illegal mining by Obulapuram Mining Company.[13][14][15][16] The permission for mining in Anantapur was for captive mining, i.e. the ore mined in that region is to be used in the local steel plant and not to be exported. Srilakshmi is accused of dropping the term "captive mining" in the final order approving a mining license to Obulapuram.
The CBI defended the Home minister saying there was no justification for the official to blame the Minister.[17] As of April 2013, Sabitha Indra Reddy submitted her resignation letter from the Cabinet after the CBI named her as an accused in the Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy illegal investments case.[18]
References
