The new Health Minister of Telangana, C. Damodar Rajanarasimha.
| Photo Credit: File | NAGARA GOPAL

It is an engineering graduate and never a physician who’s going to be the Health Minister of Telangana. Senior Congress politician Damodar Rajanarasimha Cilarapu has assumed the position of Health Minister within the third Telangana Legislative Assembly, following the allocation of the Health, Medical and Family Welfare, and Science and Technology portfolios by Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Saturday. There has been a refrain of demand to give the health portfolio to one of many 15 elected MLAs who have been docs.

Mr. Rajanarasimha launched into his political journey in 1989, securing a seat as a Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) from the Andole constituency below the banner of the Indian National Congress (INC). Although going through electoral setbacks, he emerged victorious in 2004 and 2009.

He turned a member of then Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy’s cupboard in 2004, assuming the position of Minister for Primary Education. Subsequently, in 2009, he was entrusted with the place of Minister for Marketing and Warehousing. Mr. Rajanarsimha’s political ascent continued as he took on the position of Deputy Chief Minister of united Andhra Pradesh on June 10, 2011, serving till April 2014.

In the latest 2023 Telangana Assembly elections, he clinched victory within the Andole constituency with a considerable margin of 28,193 votes, securing a complete of 1,14,147 votes (53.65%) within the constituency. 

Mr. Rajanarasimha holds a Bachelor of Engineering diploma from Osmania University’s College of Engineering, earned in 1982.