Warangal: Konda Surekha is a well-known fiery politician, much like her husband Murali. Her political journey began with the influence of Murali, but she quickly adapted and made a name for herself.
She started her political career as an MPP in 1995 and went on to become an MLA five times. Surekha was a strong supporter of former Chief Minister YS Rajasekhar Reddy and served as the Minister for Women Development & Child Welfare under his leadership.
The death of YSR marked a turning point in Surekha’s career. She left the Congress party to support YSR’s son, Jagan Mohan Reddy, who founded the YSR Congress party in 2012. However, due to disagreements with Jagan, she left the YSR Congress and joined the TRS (now BRS) just before the 2014 general elections. Surekha won the election from Warangal East but later returned to the Congress when the TRS didn’t field her again in 2018.
Surekha decided to contest for the Parkal seat but lost. She then returned to the Warangal East constituency and won the seat in 2023. Subsequently, she became the Minister for Endowments, Forests, and Environment in Revanth Reddy’s Cabinet.
Surekha and her husband Konda Murali faced many challenges in their political careers. They had to deal with conflicts with their friend-turned-rival, Errabelli Dayakar Rao, another key leader in the Warangal district.
Currently, 59-year-old Surekha is focused on developing Warangal city to match the State Capital, Hyderabad. “We have plans to promote temple tourism in Warangal, which has many Kakatiya-era shrines and heritage structures,” Surekha says.
