Karimnagar gets double bonanza

Karimnagar: It’s a double bonanza for Karimnagar district as two MLAs – Eatala Rajender and Koppula Eshwar – from the erstwhile district were inducted in the first phase of State cabinet expansion on Tuesday. Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao had given Medical and Health portfolio to E Rajender and all Welfare departments to K Eshwar.

It should be noted here that a two-member cabinet was sworn in soon after thegovernment was elected on December 11, 2018 and after a suspense of 68 days, Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao took 10 ministers in his camp.

The TRS emerged victorious in the Assembly elections, grabbing 88 seats out of thetotal 119 seats across the State and winning 12 Assembly constituencies out the 13 constituencies present in the erstwhile Karimnagar district, proving its strong hold inthe district.

Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao won from Gajwel Assembly constituency and his son KT Rama Rao bagged Sircilla Assembly seat with a margin of 89,909 votes. KTR, later was appointed as the TRS working president on December 17, 2018.

Along with Chief Minister KCR, Mahmood Ali was sworn in on December 11, 2018 and had been allotted Home portfolio. Out of the ten ministers inducted in the State cabinet on Tuesday, two are from erstwhile Karimnagar district - Eatala Rajendar, who was elected from Huzurabad Assembly constituency and Koppula Eshwar from Dharmapuri Assembly constituency.

Eatala Rajendar was the first Finance Minister of Telangana. Born in Kamalapur, Karimnagar district, Rajendar is a B Sc graduate from Osmania University and one of the founder members of TRS. He was elected from Kamalapur Assembly constituency in 2004.

He resigned from his post supportingthe Telangana agitation and won in 2008 by-elections and was made Legislature Party leader. He won from Huzurabad constituency during 2009 general elections and 2010 by-elections.

Koppula Eshwar, a six-time MLA from Karimnagar district, born on April 20, 1959. The Arts graduate Eshwar started political career with Telugu Desam Party in 1994 and continued as MLA from Medaram Assembly constituency, which was present in the erstwhile Warangal district and later from Dharampuri Assembly constituency of erstwhile Karimnagar district.

Eshwar joined the TRS in 2001 and got elected as MLA from Medaram constituency in 2004. He was re-elected in 2008 from Medaram, in 2009 general elections and in 2010 by-elections he won from Dharmapuri Assembly constituency. He worked for Singareni Collieries Company Limited for about 26 years and served as Government Chief Whip from 2014 to 2018.