Konathala Ramakrishna
{{Short description|Indian politician}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Use Indian English|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| image =
| office = Minister of Commercial Taxes
{{small|Government of Andhra Pradesh}}
| term_start = 14 May 2004
| term_end = 20 May 2009
| governor =
| 1blankname = Chief Minister
| 1namedata = Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy
| predecessor = Ashok Gajapathi Raju
| successor = Konijeti Rosaiah
| office1 = Member of Legislative Assembly
Andhra Pradesh
| term_start1 = 2024
| term_end1 =
| predecessor1 = Gudivada Amarnath
| successor1 =
| constituency1 = Anakapalle
| term_start2 = 2004
| term_end2 = 2009
| predecessor2 = Dadi Veerabhadra Rao
| successor2 = Ganta Srinivasa Rao
| constituency2 = Anakapalle
| office3 = Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha
| term_start3 = 1989
| term_end3 = 1996
| predecessor3 = P. Appalanarasimham
| successor3 = Chintakayala Ayyanna Patrudu
| constituency3 = Anakapalle
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1957|1|4|df=yes}}
| birth_place = Anakapalli, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh
(now Anakapalli district, Andhra Pradesh)
| party = Jana Sena Party (2024-present)
| otherparty =
- YSR Congress Party
(2011-2014) - Indian National Congress
(1982-2011)
| spouse =Konathala Padmavathi (m.1982)
| children = 2 (daughters)
| education = M.Com
| alma_mater = Andhra Vidhyalayam
| profession =
}}
Konathala Ramakrishna (born 4 January 1957) is an Indian politician from Andhra Pradesh. He is a two-time Member of Parliament from Anakapalle Lok Sabha constituency and also a former MLA from Anakapalli Assembly constituency and a state minister in the Y. S. Rajasekhar Reddy government before serving as Andhra Pradesh Congress parliament members convener from 1991 to 1996.{{cite news |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/visakhapatnam/ex-ysrcp-leader-konatala-ramakrishna-may-join-janasena-party/articleshow/106933097.cms |title=Ex YSRCP leader Konatala Ramakrishna may join Janasena Party |newspaper=The Times of India |date=17 January 2024 }}
Early life and education
Ramakrishna was born in Anakapalli in a business family of [https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Castes_and_Tribes_of_Southern_India/Gavara Gavara] community.{{Cite news |date=2024-02-25 |title=New JS entrant Konathala to contest from Anakapalli |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/visakhapatnam/new-js-entrant-konathala-to-contest-from-anakapalli-visakhapatnam/articleshow/107978591.cms |access-date=2024-04-18 |work=The Times of India |issn=0971-8257}}{{Cite news |date=2024-01-17 |title=Ex YSRCP leader Konatala Ramakrishna may join Janasena Party |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/visakhapatnam/ex-ysrcp-leader-konatala-ramakrishna-may-join-janasena-party/articleshow/106933097.cms |access-date=2024-06-20 |work=The Times of India |issn=0971-8257}} His father is Konathala Subramanyam.
Career
Ramakrishna started his political career with Indian National Congress in 1982. In 1989, he contested as an MP candidate of Congress from Anakapalle Parliamentary constituency and won by a slender margin of 9 votes defeating Telugu Desam Party candidate P. Appalanarasimham.{{Cite web |title=When elections were won by just one vote in India |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/elections/lok-sabha-2019/story/har-ek-vote-jaroori-hota-hai-when-elections-were-won-by-just-one-extra-vote-1498396-2019-04-10 |access-date=2024-04-18 |website=India Today |date=10 April 2019 |language=en}} He retained the MP seat for Congress defeating the same candidate in 1991. However, he lost the same seat in the 1996 Indian general election in Andhra Pradesh.
He was a state minister in the Y. S. Rajasekhar Reddy government before serving as Andhra Pradesh Congress parliament members convener from 1991 to 1996.{{cite news |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/visakhapatnam/ex-ysrcp-leader-konatala-ramakrishna-may-join-janasena-party/articleshow/106933097.cms |title=Ex YSRCP leader Konatala Ramakrishna may join Janasena Party |newspaper=The Times of India |date=17 January 2024 }}
In the 2004 Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly election, he won as a Congress candidate against Dadi Veerabhadra Rao of Telugu Desam Party.{{Cite web |title=Andhra Pradesh Assembly Election 2004 - Constituency wise Results |url=https://m.rediff.com/election/ap04detail.htm |access-date=2024-04-18 |website=m.rediff.com}} He was the Minister for Commercial Taxes in the late Y. S. Rajasekhar Reddy government from 2004 to 2009. In 2009, he lost the MLA seat to Ganta Srinivasa Rao of Praja Rajyam Party. After the death of former Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhar Reddy, he joined YSR Congress Party and supported Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy. But later, he quit the party.{{Cite news |date=2015-01-28 |title=Konathala still in dilemma |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Visakhapatnam/konathala-still-in-dilemma/article6832152.ece |access-date=2024-04-18 |work=The Hindu |language=en-IN |issn=0971-751X}} In June 2016, he staged a dharna to demand funds for the Babu Jagjeevanram Uttarandhra Sujala Sravanthi irrigation project.{{Cite web |last=Service |first=Express News |date=2016-06-15 |title=Konathala stages dharna, to set up Sadhana Samithi |url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/andhra-pradesh/2016/Jun/15/konathala-stages-dharna-to-set-up-sadhana-samithi-940470.html |access-date=2024-04-18 |website=The New Indian Express |language=en}}
He is nominated to contest the 2024 Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly election from Anakapalli constituency on Jana Sena Party which he joined in January 2024. Thus, he joined his long-time political rival Dadi Veerabhadra Rao in the three-party political alliance of Telugu Desam, BJP and Jana Sena, and vowed to defeat YSRCP.{{Cite news |last=Bureau |first=The Hindu |date=2024-03-08 |title=Political rivals-turned-allies join hands, vow to strengthen TDP-JSP alliance in Anakapalli |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/andhra-pradesh/political-rivals-turned-allies-join-hands-vow-to-strengthen-tdp-jsp-alliance-in-anakapalli/article67928659.ece |access-date=2024-04-18 |work=The Hindu |language=en-IN |issn=0971-751X}} He said that they were only political rivals but always had good relationship outside politics.{{Cite AV media |url=https://timesxptelugu.indiatimes.com/samayam/andhra-pradesh/visakhapatnam/anakapalle-janasena-mla-candidate-konathala-ramakrishna-called-on-tdp-leader-dadi-veerabhadra-rao/videoshow/108334679.cms |title='దాడి' మా లెక్చరర్.. డిగ్రీలో నాకు సైకిల్ నేర్పించారు: కొణతాల |language=te |access-date=2024-04-18 |via=timesxptelugu.indiatimes.com}} However, many TDP cadre were unhappy that a turncoat was given the seat.{{Cite web |last=Correspondent |first=D. C. |date=2024-02-25 |title=Two North Andhra TD Leaders Quit Party Posts, Unhappy with List |url=https://www.deccanchronicle.com/nation/politics/two-north-andhra-td-leaders-quit-party-posts-unhappy-with-list-883316 |access-date=2024-04-18 |website=Deccan Chronicle |language=en}}{{Cite news |last=Bureau |first=The Hindu |date=2024-02-25 |title=A.P. Assembly elections: TDP activists miffed at allotment of Anakapalli seat to JSP's Konathala Ramakrishna |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/andhra-pradesh/ap-assembly-elections-tdp-activists-miffed-at-allotment-of-anakapalli-seat-to-jsps-konathala-ramakrishna/article67885155.ece |access-date=2024-04-18 |work=The Hindu |language=en-IN |issn=0971-751X}}