
The Kamma community, long associated with entrepreneurship, business acumen and political mobilisation, appears to have retained a significant presence not only within the Telugu Desam Party, which...
The Kamma community, long associated with entrepreneurship, business acumen and political mobilisation, appears to have retained a significant presence not only within the Telugu Desam Party, which is considered a Kamma-based party, but also in parties identified with other social groups, including the Jana Sena Party and the YSR Congress Party.
According to analysts, Kammas have always been dominating the TDP politics with other communities having a little role at the top level, forget about forming the core team of Naidu.
These Kamma leaders in the inner circles of Naidu, however, maintain a low public profile and leaders such as Kilaru Rajesh are widely regarded as trusted associates of Naidu’s son and TDP working president Nara Lokesh play important roles behind the scenes.
Interestingly, Kamma leaders play influential role in Jana Sena Party, which is generally known as Kapu-dominated party, owing to the social background of its founder and president, deputy chief minister Pawan Kalyan.
However, analysts point out that some of Pawan Kalyan’s most trusted associates belong to the Kamma community.
Among them are minister Nadendla Manohar and recently elected Rajya Sabha member Lingamaneni Ramesh, both of whom are believed to enjoy considerable access to the Jana Sena chief and play important roles in strategic decision-making.
Perhaps more striking is the situation within the YSR Congress Party, which is widely viewed as having a strong support base among the Reddy community and is led by former chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy.
According to party sources, two Kamma leaders – Devineni Avinash and Talasila Raghuram – are among the individuals entrusted with managing many of Jagan’s day-to-day engagements, particularly during his stays in Tadepalli.
Their responsibilities reportedly extend beyond political coordination to overseeing logistical arrangements, scheduling meetings and facilitating interactions with visitors.
While senior leaders such as Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy are known to handle broader political affairs and organisational matters, the reliance on trusted aides from outside the party’s perceived social base highlights the importance of personal confidence and administrative efficiency in political leadership.
The presence of influential Kamma leaders in the inner circles of the state’s three major parties indicates that the community continues to wield significant political capital irrespective of electoral alignments.