Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka: Telangana Dy CM And Congress Dalit Face Who Led Key 'People's March'

Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, a seasoned Congress politician, was the legislature party leader in the previous Telangana Assembly.

Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, a seasoned Congress politician and a prominent Dalit leader, took oath as deputy CM of Telangana on Thursday. The 63-year-old was also a contender for the CM post but eventually Revanth Reddy got the approval from the Congress leadership.

The 63-year-old leader is a four-time MLA from the Madhira Assembly constituency in Khammam district and was the Congress legislature party (CLP) leader in the previous Assembly.

Vikramarka started of as Pradesh Congress Committee executive committee member from 1990 to 1992. He became an an MLC in Andhra Pradesh in 2007 before winning his first Assembly poll from Madhira in 2009.

Vikramarka had served as the chief whip of the Congress-led Andhra Pradesh government between 2009 and 2011. He was also the deputy Speaker of the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly from 2011 to 2014.

A prominent face in Telangana's political scenario, Vikramarka had hit the campaign trail as early as March 2023 and took a 100-day padayatra called "People's March", covering nearly 1,000 km.

READ | Telangana: Revanth Reddy, Giant Slayer Who Dethroned KCR, Takes Oath As CM

The senior leader visited 36 districts and highlighted the false promises of the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS). In his speeches, he espoused Congress' promise to establish a 'prajala (people's)' Telangana against KCR's 'dorala' or feudal Telangana.

Even though most of the focus has been on Reddy's strategy behind Congress's win in Telangana, where it bagged 64 of the 119 assembly seats, Vikramarka's padyatra also played a crucial role in ensuring the party's resurgence in the state.

The veteran leader also played a crucial role in helping Congress formulate its manifesto, focusing on targeting farmers, youths and minorities.

During the poll campaigns, Bhatti reached out to Dalits, tribals, minorities, farmers, unemployed youth, Singareni coal mine workers, students, artisans, weavers and other people from various backward sections.

Born on June 15, 1961, in Wyra mandal of Khammam district, Vikramarka completed his graduation from Nizam College, Hyderabad, and did his post-graduation from University of Hyderabad. He served as director of a bank before taking the political plunge with Congress.