Know Your MLA: The firebrand leader

Warangal: Konda Surekha is known as a firebrand politician like her husband Murali. If the acumen of Murali catapulted her to politics, Surekha took it like a fish to water and never looked back.

Beginning her career as an MPP in 1995, Surekha became an MLA for five times. Surekha, a staunch supporter of former Chief Minister YS Rajasekhar Reddy, served under him as the Minister for Women Development & Child Welfare.

The demise of YSR changed the course of her political path. She quit the Congress in support of YSR’s son Jagan Mohan Reddy who floated YSR Congress party after he differed with the Congress high command in 2012. Following differences with Jagan, she quit the YSR Congress and joined the TRS (now BRS) just before the 2014 general elections. Surekha won the election from Warangal East. She returned to Congress fold after the TRS refused to field her again from Warangal East in 2018.

Surekha who chose to fight for Parkal seat lost that election. However, she returned to Warangal East constituency and won the seat in 2023, before eventually becoming the Minister for Endowments, Forests and Environment in Revanth Reddy’s Cabinet.

The political journey of Surekha and Konda Murali wasn’t all that smooth. The duo withstood the onslaught of their friend-turned-foe Errabelli Dayakar Rao, another prominent leader in the erstwhile Warangal district.

As of now, 59-year-old Surekha set her eyes on developing Warangal city on par with the State Capital Hyderabad. “We have plans to promote temple tourism in Warangal which has a plethora of Kakatiya-era shrines and heritage structures,” Surekha says.