Kotla Vijaya Bhaskara Reddy (16 August 1920 – 27 September 2001) served as the 9th chief minister of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh in 1983 and then from 1992 to 1994. Reddy was a member of the Indian National Congress and was elected to the Lok Sabha six times. Reddy also served as a Union cabinet Minister, along with serving on several parliamentary committees. He lost the 1999 elections and subsequently retired from active politics. Botanical Garden in Hyderabad is named after him.
Early life Reddy was born in the remote village of Laddagiri in the Kurnool district to the family of a landlord. He began his involvement in politics at Nandyal gram panchayat and eventually became involved in the national level. He studied for his B.A., at Besant Theosophical College, Madanapalle and his LL.B. at Madras Law College, in Madras, Tamil Nadu in 1947. While Reddy graduated law school, he rarely practiced law due to his political workload.
Personal life Reddy was married on 7 June 1950 to Smt. K. Shyamla Reddy. He had two sons and three daughters. His son, Kotla Jayasurya Prakasha Reddy, was a Member of Parliament representing Kurnool Parliamentary constituency for his second term. Reddy's interests included sports, games, and reading. He was the captain of the hockey and football teams at Besant Theosophical College in Madanapalli, Andhra Pradesh and Chairman of Andhra Pradesh Sports Council from 1967 to 1969. He improved infrastructure in the Kurnool District and developed farmland in his native village.
Political career Reddy represented several assembly constituencies in the district, but his major breakthrough came when he was elected as chairman of Zilla Parishad. He held several posts both in the Indian National Congress party and in central and state governments. He was the ninth chief minister in the undivided Andhra Pradesh. Reddy engaged in value-based politics, and he remained respected even after losing his Chief Ministership to N. T. Rama Rao. After his death, "Kisan ghat" was erected in his memory by the state government.Peddayana, an article in Eenadu daily on 28 September 2009
As a politician, Reddy was credited with starting 15 primary and secondary schools in villages throughout the Kurnool District in Andhra Pradesh. As Chief Minister, he was known for introducing a mid-day meal scheme in primary schools for children 6–11 years old in the state of Andhra Pradesh. He also became known for supplying rice at a highly subsidised rate of Rs 1.90 per kg for poor families. Reddy became MLA for the first time in 1955, but he was denied a ticket in 1962. Unlike other Chief Ministers, Reddy did not have any corruption charges brought against him.
Positions held Throughout his 44-year career, Reddy served in both local and national positions. His work included the following:
Designations Year Designation 1955–61 Member, Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly Secretary, Congress Legislature Party, Andhra Pradesh 1955–61 Member, Public Accounts Committee 1959–67 Chairman, Zila Parishad, Kurnool 1961–62 Chairman, Public Accounts Committee 1962–64 General-Secretary, Pradesh Congress Committee (Indira) [P.C.C.(I)], Andhra Pradesh 1967–72 Member, Andhra Pradesh Legislative Council 1967–71 Minister, Co-operation, Major Irrigation and Finance, Andhra Pradesh 1977 Elected to 6th Lok Sabha 1977–82 Member, Committee on Estimates 1980–81 President, P.C.C.(I), Andhra Pradesh 1980 Re-elected to 7th Lok Sabha (2nd term) 1982–83 Chief Minister, Andhra Pradesh 1983–84 Union Cabinet Minister, Shipping and Transport and Union Cabinet Minister, Industry and Company Affairs 1989 Re-elected to 9th Lok Sabha (3rd term) 1990–91 Member, Committee on Subordinate Legislation/Member, Consultative Committee, Ministry of Water Resources/Member, Political Affairs Committee, Congress Parliamentary Party (C.P.P.) 1991 Re-elected to 10th Lok Sabha (4th term) 1991–92 Union Cabinet Minister, Law, Justice and Company Affairs 1992–94 Member, Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly 1992–94 Chief Minister, Andhra Pradesh (2nd term) 1996 Re-elected to 11th Lok Sabha (5th term) 1996–97 Member, Committee on Transport and Tourism 1998 Re-elected to 12th Lok Sabha (6th term) 1998–99 Member, Committee on Transport and Tourism/Member, Rules Committee/Member, Consultative Committee, Ministry of Civil Aviation
Electoral History Lok Sabha Year ConstituencyParty Votes % OpponentParty Votes % Result Margin % 1977Kurnool 2,70,741 75.69 Somappa 71,385 19.96 +1,99,356 +55.73 1980 2,31,889 77.53 Nasir Ahmed 27,040 9.04 +2,04,849 +68.49 1984 2,46,542 48.51 Erasu Ayyapu Reddy 2,53,832 49.94 -7,290 -1.43 1989 3,63,955 57.89 2,53,537 40.32 +1,10,418 +17.57 1991 3,02,352 51.92 S. V. Subba Reddy 2,49,885 42.91 +52,467 +9.01 1996 3,23,208 46.43 2,90,389 41.72 +32,819 +4.71 1998 3,68,044 48.91 K. E. Krishnamurthy 3,55,208 47.21 +12,836 +1.70 1999 3,61,201 48.01 3,85,688 51.27 -24,487 -3.26
References