HYDERABAD: Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) founder Kalvakuntla Chandrasekhar Rao has created a rare and interesting record. He is now the longest-serving chief minister from the region of Telangana. Rao recently surpassed Burgula Ramakrishna Rao, who was elected as the first chief minister of erstwhile Hyderabad State.
Burgula Ramakrishna Rao was chief minister for 1,701 days. K Chandrashekhar Rao (KCR) equalled this record on January 28, 2019. As on Wednesday, he has been in the chief minister’s chair for 1,815 days. The TRS chief was sworn in as chief minister of the newly-formed State on June 2, 2014. He came back to power after his party decimated the Opposition in the 2018 Assembly elections.
Rao is the sixth leader from Telangana to sit of the chief minister’s chair. Earlier, in Hyderabad State and in erstwhile Andhra Pradesh, as many as five leaders from Telangana had served as chief minister. The first was Burgula Ramakrishna Rao, who was chief minister of Hyderabad State between 1952 and 1956. He was elected from Shadnagar constituency in 1952, in the first elections held after the country achieved Independence. After Hyderabad was merged with Andhra Pradesh, the first Telangana man to become CM was Pamulaparthi Venkata Narasimha Rao, fondly remembered as PV.
PV Narasimha Rao was the fourth Chief Minister of erstwhile Andhra Pradesh and served between September 30, 1971, to January 10, 1973. Later, Jalagam Vengal Rao succeeded PV Narasimha Rao and became the fifth Chief Minister of erstwhile AP. Jalagam served the State from December 10, 1973, to March 6, 1978, and represented Vemsoor Assembly segment. Jalagam was Chief Minister for 1,547 days.
After Jalagam, Marri Chenna Reddy became the Chief Minister of erstwhile AP. He was the seventh chief minister and third leader from Telangana. In his first term, served the State between March 6, 1978, and October 11, 1980, being in office for 950 days. Later, Chenna Reddy became the chief minister for the second time on December 3, 1989, serving till December 17, 1990. He was in office for 379 days in his second term. He represented the Medchal Assembly segment in his first term and Sanathnagar segment in his second term. In all, Chenna Reddy served the State as CM for 1,329 days. The eighth Chief Minister of combined AP too was from Telangana. Tanguturi Anjaiah succeeded and served between October 1980 and February 1982.
Only sixth Telangana leader to grace the CM’s chair
TRS chief Chandrasekhar Rao is only the sixth leader from Telangana to sit of the chief minister’s chair in Hyderabad, erstwhile AP or Telangana States. Earlier, in Hyderabad State and in erstwhile Andhra Pradesh, as many as five leaders from Telangana had served as chief minister. The last one was Congress leader Marri Chenna Reddy who served as Chief Minister of erstwhile Andhra Pradesh State twice
Could have broken record in first term itself
Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao came to power in 2014. His first time came to a premature end in December 2018, after he chose to dissolve the Assembly and call for fresh elections, Had he not done so, he would have surpassed Burugula Ramakrishna Rao’s record in his first term itself