Ambati Rambabu

In this Telugu name, the surname is Ambati.

Ambati Rambabu
Ambati in August 2020
Minister of Water Resources Development
Government of Andhra Pradesh
In office
11 April 2022 – 4 June 2024
Governor
Chief MinisterY. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy
Preceded byPoluboina Anil Kumar
Succeeded byNimmala Rama Naidu
Member of Legislative Assembly, Andhra Pradesh
In office
2019–2024
Preceded byKodela Siva Prasada Rao
Succeeded byKanna Lakshminarayana
ConstituencySattenapalle
In office
1989–1994
Preceded byYadla Venkata Rao[1]
Succeeded byMummaneni Venkata Subbaiah
ConstituencyRepalle
Personal details
Born1956 or 1957 (age 67–68)
Repalle, Andhra Pradesh, India
Political partyYSR Congress Party
Other political
affiliations		Indian National Congress
Children3
OccupationPolitician

Ambati Rambabu (born 1956 or 1957)[2] is an Indian politician from the state of Andhra Pradesh. He has served as the Minister for Irrigation since 2022. A member of the YSR Congress Party, he was a member of the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly from the Sattenapalle constituency in the 2019 elections.

He entered politics with Indian National Congress. He was elected the Member of the Legislative Assembly from Repalle constituency during 1989–94, and later served as the chairman of Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation during 2005–09. After the death of Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy, he continued his support of Reddy's son Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy. In July 2010, he was suspended from the Indian National Congress. In March 2011, he joined Jagan's newly-founded YSR Congress Party and has been a spokesperson for that party.

Early life and education

Ambati Rambabu was born to AVSR Anjaneyulu and Venkata Subbamma in Repalle, Andhra Pradesh. He completed law education from the Nyaya Vidya Parishath Law College at Visakhapatnam in 1986. He practiced briefly as an advocate in his early career.[3] He acted in an obscure film during his younger years before moving on to politics.[4]

Political career

Indian National Congress

Ambati started his political career with Indian National Congress. He was appointed the legal cell convener of the Guntur District Congress Party in 1988, president of the District Youth Congress in 1994 and as the chairman of the Non-Conventional Energy Resources Development Corporation.[3]

In the 1989 Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly elections from Repalle constituency, he contested as a Congress party candidate and won as the MLA.[3] However, he lost the 1994 and 1999 elections to Telugu Desam Party's (TDP) Mummaneni Venkata Subbaiah.[5][6][2]

He was the chairman of Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (APIIC) from 2005 until 2007 during the chief ministership of Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy.[2] He was also the general secretary of Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC).[7]

Suspension from Congress

After the death of Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy, the then chief minister of Andhra Pradesh from Congress who died in a helicopter crash in September 2009,[8] his son Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy went on an odarpu yatra, a consolation tour during which he visited families supposedly affected by the death of his father, against the wishes of Congress party's High Command. Ambati, a confidant of Jagan and his father,[11] stated in July 2010 he would remain with Congress and support Jagan at the same time.[10]

Later the same month, he alleged that Konijeti Rosaiah, the then chief minister of Andhra Pradesh,[12] was obstructing Jagan's yatra. Following a complaint by APCC over his statement, All India Congress Committee suspended him from Congress party citing anti-party activities and statements.[7][13]

He acted as the chief spokesman for Jagan's camp, a group comprising MLAs and other politicians from Congress party who supported Jagan, when Jagan was still with Congress.[14]

YSR Congress Party

In March 2011, Ambati joined Jagan's newly-founded YSR Congress Party (YSRCP).[15][16] As of April 2022, he is one of the official spokespersons of YSRCP, having been appointed as such in May 2011.[17][18]

In September 2011, Telugu news channel ABN Andhra Jyothi broadcast a sting operation on Ambati where he was alleged to have allured a woman over phone for sexual favours. A few hours later, the woman involved came forward and declared that she was coerced by a representative of the news channel to make the allegations. Several cable operators in Guntur, in which Ambati holds a majority stake-holding, had blocked broadcast of the channel; Ambati denied the allegations and accused the channel of defaming him.[19][20] He obtained a temporary injunction from Andhra Pradesh High Court against the channel, restricting it from broadcasting any content defaming him.[21]

In January 2013, Ambati was questioned by the Central Bureau of Investigation as part of an investigation into alleged irregularities in land allotments to Emaar Properties involving APIIC and Rajasekhara Reddy's government, as Ambati was the chairman of the corporation at that time.[22] He alleged that the investigation was intended to harass Jagan, his family and YSRCP members.[23]

He contested the 2014 elections as the YSRCP candidate from Sattenapalle constituency and lost to Kodela Siva Prasada Rao of TDP. He later contested the 2019 elections from Sattenapalle, despite facing resistance from local YSRCP politicians, and won as the MLA against Kodela.[9][3] In April 2022, he was inducted into the Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy's cabinet and was allocated the Ministry of Irrigation (Water Resources) portfolio, replacing Anil Kumar Poluboina.[24][25][26] He was also appointed the in-charge minister for Nellore district.[27]

In 2024 Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly election he contested the elections from sattenapalle and lost to his rival Kanna Lakshminarayana by 27,836 votes.

Personal life

Ambati is married to Vijayalakshmi.[28] The couple has three daughters.[29]

References

  1. ^ "Andhra Pradesh Assembly Election Results in 1985". Elections in India. Archived from the original on 1 March 2021. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  2. ^ a b c Md. Ilyas (12 April 2022). "Jagan Cabinet 2.0 - Profiles of 25 Ministers". Deccan Chronicle. Archived from the original on 22 April 2022. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d "Ambati Rambabu,The Fiery Eloquent YSRCP Spokesperson Gets Ministerial Berth". Sakshi Post. 11 April 2022. Archived from the original on 24 April 2022. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
  4. ^ "New Cabinet Minister Ambati Rambabu Was Once a Tollywood Hero. Check Pics". News18. 12 April 2022. Archived from the original on 13 April 2022. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
  5. ^ "Andhra Pradesh Assembly Election Results in 1999". Elections in India. Archived from the original on 25 April 2022. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  6. ^ "Andhra Pradesh Assembly Election Results in 1994". Elections in India. Archived from the original on 25 April 2022. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  7. ^ a b c "Ambati Rambabu suspended". The Hindu. 17 July 2010. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 25 April 2022. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  8. ^ "Rajasekhara Reddy and aides dead". The Hindu. 3 September 2009. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 30 April 2022. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
  9. ^ a b "Ambati faces dissent in Sattenapalli". The Hindu. 10 January 2019. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 25 April 2022. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  10. ^ a b T. S. Sudhir (6 July 2010). "A rebel is born. Y S Jagan". NDTV. Archived from the original on 25 April 2022. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  11. ^ [7][9][10]
  12. ^ "Ambati Rambabu wants suspension kept on hold". The Hindu. 22 July 2010. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 26 April 2022. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
  13. ^ "Jagan 'pained' by Rambabu's suspension". The Indian Express. 18 July 2010. Archived from the original on 25 April 2022. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  14. ^ "Jagan group in a 'wait and watch' mode". The Indian Express. 27 November 2010. Archived from the original on 28 April 2022. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
  15. ^ "Ambati dares Ravindra". The Hindu. 16 March 2011. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 28 April 2022. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
  16. ^ "Jagan announces YSR Congress Party". Hindustan Times. 11 March 2011. Archived from the original on 28 April 2022. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
  17. ^ "Reddys dominate Jaganparty governing council". The Times of India. 27 May 2011. Archived from the original on 25 April 2022. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  18. ^ Janyala, Sreenivas (11 April 2022). "Among those Jagan dropped: Minister accused of running casino to another involved in spat with MLAs". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 25 April 2022. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  19. ^ "Sting operation on Ambati boomerangs on TV channel". The Times of India. 17 September 2011. Archived from the original on 25 April 2022. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
  20. ^ "Ambati complains against TV news channel". The Hindu. 17 September 2011. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 26 April 2022. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
  21. ^ "HC restrains channel from airing 'sting' on Ambati Rambabu". The Times of India. 29 September 2011. Archived from the original on 19 May 2021. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
  22. ^ "Emaar case: Jagan's aide Ambati appears before CBI". The Hindu. Press Trust of India. 8 January 2012. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 25 April 2022. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  23. ^ "CBI on a devious course: Ambati Rambabu". The New Indian Express. 25 January 2012. Archived from the original on 25 April 2022. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  24. ^ "Buggana retains finance, Vanitha gets Home". The Hindu. 11 April 2022. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 14 April 2022. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  25. ^ "Andhra Pradesh: statements of Central, State governments causing confusion on Polavaram project, says CPI(M) State secretary". The Hindu. 24 April 2022. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 25 April 2022. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  26. ^ "Andhra Pradesh Ministers: Portfolios and profiles". The Hindu. 8 June 2019. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 16 August 2021. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  27. ^ Arikatla, Venkat (19 April 2022). "New in-charge ministers, district presidents for YSRC". greatandhra.com. Archived from the original on 19 April 2022. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  28. ^ YSRCP Leader Ambati Rambabu Wife Vijayalakshmi Election Campaign in Sattenapalli (in Telugu). Sakshi TV. 1 April 2019. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
  29. ^ తన కుటుంబ వివరాలని పంచుకున్న అంబటి రాంబాబు || Talking Politics With iDream [Ambati Rambabu sharing his family details || Talking Politics With iDream] (in Telugu). iDream News. 10 September 2016. Retrieved 26 April 2022.