Nallari Kiran Kumar Reddy Biography

Fifty one year old, Nillari Kiran Kumar Reddy was sworn in as the 16th Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh on 25 November 2010. He has been a member of the Congress party and has steadily risen from the ranks of a student leader, to the present august office. He belongs to a political lineage, as his father too was a congress politician.

Mr Reddy was elected on a Congress ticket from Pileru constituency in Chittoor district of the Rayalaseema region of Andhra Pradesh in 2009.

Background

He was born on 13th September 1960 at Hyderabad and studied at Hyderabad Public School at Begumpet and St Joseph’s Junior College at Hyderabad. His father was Mr Nallari Amarnath Reddy, Congress politician from Chittoor and a close aide of congress leaders Smt Indira Gandhi and Mr P V Narsimha Rao.

Mr Reddy graduated in commerce from Nizam College. In addition he has an LLM from Osmania University. He was elected as the President of the Nizam College student Union in the early1980s. He played cricket at college and represented his State and also south zone in tournaments. He nearly got selected to the Indian team as a wicket keeper batsman.

He is married to Smt N Radhika Reddy. They have a son N. Nikilesh Reddy and a daughter N Niharika Reddy.

Political career
In 1989, after his father’s death, Kiran Kumar Reddy was elected to Andhra Pradesh legislative assembly from Vayalpadu constituency of Chittoor district, a feat he has repeated four times. He was elected to the Andhra Pradesh legislative assembly in 1989, 1999, and 2004 from the Vayalpadu or Valmikipuram of Chittoor district. In 1994 Congress party was routed from Chittoor and Mr Reddy lost the election. In 2009 Pileru constituency was merged with Valmikipuram and Mr Reddy contested the elections from there and won.

From 2004 to 2009, for five years, he was appointed the Government Chief Whip in the Legislative Assembly. He was the Chief Whip when the highly emotive issue of Telangana caused a crises with 143 MLA’s of various political parties resigning, an issue he handled deftly.

From May 2009 to November 2010, for a turbulent one and a half years he served as the Speaker of the 13th Andhra Pradesh assembly, a post to which he was unanimously elected. His name was proposed by the former chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, the Agricultural Minister N Raghuveera Reddy and the Praja Rajyam chief Chiranjeevi.

On 24th November 2010, Konijeti Rosaiah, the Chief Minister of AP resigned, citing health and personal reasons. The congress party then chose Mr Reddy to succeed as the Chief Minister and the Governor of Andhra Pradesh Mr E S L Narsimhan swore him to the office.

Poll promises
As chief minister of a large State at a crucial stage when several issues confront the state, he has promised to fulfill all the election promises in the Congress election manifesto. Welfare schemes targeted for rural betterment such as national rural employment guarantee scheme and a better public distribution system, as well as maintaining the reputation of Andhra Pradesh as a sought out destination for investments. He has promised to maintain law and order and bring stability to the state. He has decided to abide by the center’s decision on the Telangana issue and has not changed or deviated from the official policy on Naxals.