He’s doesn’t mince his words when speaking out against K Chandrashekar Rao of the previous Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government as well as the A Revanth Reddy-led Congress currently in power in Telangana.
Bandi Sanjay Kumar, previous president of the BJP’s Telangana unit and currently National General Secretary, who is getting a ministerial berth in the new government being formed at the Centre, is vocal about Hindutva and totally committed to the causes dear to the saffron party.
In a post on X on Sunday, Kumar thanked Prime Minister-designate Narendra Modi and people of Karimnagar Parliamentary Constituency after his name figured in BJP-led NDA Cabinet being sworn in on Sunday evening at the national capital.
"From streets of Karimnagar to being recommended for appointment as Minister of State in the Council of Ministers - As I write this, I cannot express enough on how grateful I am to people of Karimnagar Parliamentary Constituency, @BJP4India President Shri @JPNadda ji,@BJP4Telangana Leaders, karyakarthas and most importantly Shri@narendramodi ji," he said.
Though his attempts to make it to the state Assembly failed in 2014, 2018 and 2023, Kumar retained the Karimnagar Lok Sabha seat he won in 2019, this time beating V Rajender Rao of the Congress by a margin of over 2.25 lakh votes.
The tilak-sporting Kumar was an RSS volunteer and an Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) student leader in his early days before joining the BJP.
When the BJP brought in G Kishan Reddy as Telangana chief to replace him last year, it was seen as a move to project a soft image of the party in keeping with Reddy’s own “softer” persona.
However, Kumar was given a bigger role as National General Secretary soon after.
Elected Karimnagar’s municipal corporator twice, he was also reportedly miffed because of former BRS chairperson Etela Rajender being made chairperson of the BJP’s election management committee - a man who did not share his hardcore religious ideologies.
As someone who is largely credited for the BJP’s surprising 48-seat win out of 150 in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation elections in December 2020, Kumar also helped the party grab two important Assembly by-elections in the Huzurabad and Dubbaka when he was state chief.
His being a part of BJP leader L K Advani Rath Yatra in 1996 seems to have trained Kumar for more such exercises as he launched a campaign against what he labelled as the former BRS government’s failures and walked around 1,500 km, covering 60 Assembly constituencies in 120 days.
As an MP in the previous Lok Sabha, Kumar was member of the Parliamentary Committee on OBC welfare, Parliamentary Committee on Urban Development in 2019, the Tobacco Board, and the Minority Affairs State Level Committee.
Born in 1971, he belongs to the Munnurukapu community and is married to Bandi Aparna, an employee of the State Bank of India. They have two children, Sai Bhagirath and Sai Sumukh.
Speaking to reporters at Kumar's Karimnagar residence, Aparna said this would be the best moment in their lives.
"We are all very happy and thank everyone. We thank BJP party leaders and workers. It is due to everyone's hard work and prayers that we are here. It is due to (Goddess) Mata Rani's blessings we are seeing this day. We are very blessed to have this day. I think this is the best moment we have in our life," she said.
With inputs from PTI.
Follow us
