Etela Rajender

Etela Rajender (born 20 March 1964) is an Indian politician from Telangana serving as the Member of Parliament from Malkajgiri Lok Sabha constituency. He previously served as the first Finance Minister of Telangana from 2014 to 2018 and as the Health Minister of Telangana from 2019 to 2021. He is a member of Bharatiya Janata Party since 2021.

Rajender represented Kamalapur Assembly constituency from 2004 to 2010 and Huzurabad Assembly constituency from 2010 to 2023 in the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly and Telangana Legislative Assembly. He was a member of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) party until 2021, when he joined Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Electoral record

Assembly and Parliament Elections Year Election Type Constituency Winner (Candidate) Party Votes % Runner-up (Main Opponent) Party Votes % Majority 2004 Assembly Kamalapur Eatala Rajender TRS 44,015 39.46 Muduganti Surender Reddy INC 24,396 21.87 19,619 2008 (By) Assembly Kamalapur Eatala Rajender TRS 52,246 44.59 Muduganti Surender Reddy INC 27,276 23.28 24,970 2009 Assembly Huzurabad Eatala Rajender TRS 56,752 39.51 Vakati Radha Krishna Reddy INC 41,667 29.01 15,085 2010 (By) Assembly Huzurabad Eatala Rajender TRS 93,026 74.32 Muduganti Surender Reddy INC 13,751 10.99 79,275 2014 Assembly Huzurabad Eatala Rajender TRS 95,311 57.36 Vakati Radha Krishna Reddy INC 38,274 23.03 57,037 2018 Assembly Huzurabad Eatala Rajender TRS 104,840 59.34 Kaushik Reddy Padi INC 61,121 34.60 43,719 2021 (By) Assembly Huzurabad Eatala Rajender BJP 107,268 51.98 Gellu Srinivas Yadav TRS 83,413 40.42 23,855 2023 Assembly Huzurabad Padi Kaushik Reddy BRS 80,333 38.38 Eatala Rajender BJP 63,460 30.32 16,873 Assembly Gajwel K. Chandrashekar Rao BRS 111,684 54.71 Eatala Rajender BJP 66,653 32.65 45,031 2024 Lok Sabha Malkajgiri Eatala Rajender BJP 991,042 53.71 Patnam Sunitha Mahender Reddy INC 600,287 32.53 390,755

Political career Rajender joined TRS in 2003. He is recognised as a student leader with a left-wing ideology. He served as the TRS floor leader in the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly. He resigned as the MLA in 2008 and was re-elected as an MLA from the same constituency in the 2008 by-election.

In 2009, the Kamalapur constituency was merged with Huzurabad Assembly constituency. He contested the 2009 Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly election from Huzurabad constituency and won. In 2010 he resigned as the MLA and won the by-election.

He contested the 2018 Telangana Legislative Assembly election and was re-elected as the MLA from Huzurabad constituency. In 2019, he took oath as the Minister of Health for Telangana. As part of the 2018 election's declaration of assets by contestants, he has furnished in assets and was the richest among other ministers.

In May 2021, Rajender, along with his followers and Jamuna Hatcheries, faced allegations of land encroachments in Achampet and Hakimpet villages in Medak district. His ministerial portfolio was removed and he was subsequently dismissed from the state cabinet. Subsequently, on 4 June, he resigned from TRS. On 12 June, he resigned as MLA.

On 14 June 2021, Rajender joined the BJP in the presence of BJP leaders Dharmendra Pradhan and G. Kishan Reddy. He contested the by-election held later that year and won as the MLA.

In 2023 assembly elections, he contested from Huzurabad and Gazwel as BJP candidate and lost in both places to BRS candidates. In 2024 Loksabha elections he contested from Malkajgiri and won as MP with a huge margin of 3,91,475 votes against Congress's Patnam Sunitha Mahender Reddy.

Etela Rajender topped with raising 80 questions as Lok Sabha member from Telangana in participating in debates during the Parliament sessions between 24 June 2024 to 4 April 2025.

Legislative Assembly Elections

Member of parliament Year ConstituencyParty Votes % OpponentOpponent Party Opponent Votes % Result Margin % 2024 Malkajgiri 991,042 51.25 Patnam Sunitha Mahender Reddy 599,567 31.00 +391,475 +20.25

Personal life Etela was born on 20 March 1964 into a Mudiraju family in Kamalapur, Hanumakonda district of present-day Telangana. His father, Sri Mallaiah ( or Pedda Mallaiah ) , was a respected figure who passed away in August 2022. .