Kota Neelima

Dr. Kota Neelima is an Indian politician, author, researcher, political commentator and artist. She serves as the Vice President of the Telangana Congress (TPCC). Her public work focuses on public welfare, democratic governance, farmers’ issues, rural development, and social justice. Her research and writings address agrarian distress, gender equality, electoral reforms, and the concerns of marginalized communities in India. She is the author of Widows of Vidarbha: Making of Shadows and the novel Shoes of the Dead.

Early life and education Neelima was born to the journalist and author, Late Shri K.V.S. Rama Sarma, and Uma Sarma in United Andhra Pradesh. She obtained a PhD in political science from University of Delhi, and a Master of Arts in international relations from the Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi.

Research and writing Neelima has written books on the poor and women in India in both genres of fiction and non-fiction. Her novels Riverstones and Moneylender are based on rural farmers in India, and her novel Shoes of the Dead includes a focus on farmer suicides. In 2016, filmmaker Vetrimaaran optioned Shoes of The Dead to be adapted into a film. Her novel The Honest Season is a political thriller with a female journalist as the lead character.

Her non-fiction book Widows of Vidarbha: Making of Shadows is about the life of widows after the suicides of their farmer husbands due to agriculture distress in Vidarbha region of Maharashtra. In a review for the Hindustan Times, Manjula Narayan writes, "The writing is taut, often ironic, and devoid of unnecessary adjectives and stylistic flourishes. Instead, the author allows the women to speak, putting down the nuances of each of their stories, almost editing herself out. The result is a book that's filled with stark pain, one that's almost unbearably honest." Her non-fiction works also include two books on spirituality. One of them, Tirupati: A Guide to Life has been translated to Hindi, Telugu and Tamil languages.

As a journalist, Neelima covered politics as a principal correspondent for The Indian Express and was the Political Editor of The Sunday Guardian. The Quint, The Wire, DNA, and Hindustan Times. Her research organization, Institute of Perception Studies (IPS), maps rural distress and advocates for solutions, and is also the founder of Rate The Debate, a campaign about media reforms. She is also heading Hakku Initiative, Hyderabad, which is a campaign-based and solution-oriented initiative, some of its campaigns are 'Is Hyderabad Monsoon Ready?. Her academic articles are on distress, farmer suicides and reforms on electoral system in India, such as 'Right to Recall'. She also speaks at academic institutions on topics including agricultural crisis and gender. Her initiative StudioAdda conducts periodic outreach events like art and photography shows, and discussions on social, economic and political conditions of India.

Neelima also participates in literary festivals and discussions, including the Jaipur Literary Festival, Apeejay Kolkata Literary Festival, Dehradun Literature Festival, Odisha Literary Festival, Times LitFest, OotyLitFest Times LitFest, Delhi Literary Festival and a workshop organsied by Pune University on the issues rural farm widows.

Publications Non-fiction books Tirupati: A Guide to Life, Penguin (2012) Tirumala: Sacred Foods of God, Roli Publications (2017) Widows of Vidarbha: Making of Shadows, Oxford University Press, (2018)

Fiction books Riverstones, Penguin (Reprint/2016) Death of a Moneylender, Penguin (Reprint/2016) Shoes of the Dead, Rupa Publications (2013) The Honest Season, Penguin (2015)

Chapter in edited books "Tirupati: The God for a Modern Age" in Travelling In, Travelling Out: A Book of Unexpected Journeys Edited by Namita Gokhale (2014)

Articles Widows of Farmer Suicide Victims in Vidarbha, Economic and Political Weekly, Vol.53, Issue No. 26-27, 30 June 2018, pp. 24–31. 'Right to Recall' Reform Experience in Madhya Pradesh, Economic and Political Weekly, Vol.LII, No. 13, 1 April 2017, pp. 24–26.

Painting and photography Neelima is also a painter whose work often incorporates charcoal sketching before paint. In 2017, in her exhibition Remains of Ayodhya, Places of Worship, she reflected on Ayodhya and related themes of freedom and harmony. In 2018, Swati Rai wrote for The Tribune, "As an artist, her paintings abound in minimalism, which is a clear and consistent element in her art." Her 2018 exhibition Metaphors of the Moon was influenced by her work on her book Widows of Vidarbha: Making of Shadows, which documented the lives of widows after the suicides of their farmer husbands. In a review of the exhibit, Shilpa R writes, "The concept of negotiating and documenting the absence in and around us has been a recurring motif in the author-painter's oeuvre. [...] As is her wont, Neelima has always turned to the creative medium to draw attention to what she felt was left unsaid in the written word." and the India Habitat Centre in Delhi, and in art shows in Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata, among other cities in India. Her works have also been featured at several international exhibitions, including The Nehru Centre, London, Museum, and China Art Museum, National Museum of Fine Arts, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Her works are part of the permanent collection in Museum of Sacred Arts, Belgium.

Political career She serves as the Vice President of the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee and is a member of the Indian National Congress. She has previously held the position of General Secretary of the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee and currently serves as the Congress in-charge for the Sanathnagar Assembly Constituency. In the 2023 Telangana Assembly elections, she contested as the Congress Party candidate from the Sanathnagar Constituency and was also a member of the party’s manifesto committee for the 2023 Assembly elections.

She has been actively involved in addressing various social issues affecting the people of Telangana and Sanathnagar. She played a significant role in the Dharani campaign in Telangana, advocating for the concerns of farmers and landowners regarding land records and related challenges. Through extensive public outreach and advocacy, she highlighted people’s grievances and worked towards finding solutions to their issues.

Through her grassroots initiatives, she focused on reaching every household in the Sanathnagar Constituency by creating awareness about current Congress government, Government of Telangana welfare programmes, particularly the Praja Palana schemes. By directly engaging with residents, she helped people understand and access various government benefits and ensured that eligible families were connected with welfare initiatives.

She has also led campaigns against liquor shops operating in residential areas, organizing protests and public movements that contributed to the relocation of some establishments from residential neighbourhoods. Her efforts have reflected her commitment to addressing local concerns and improving the quality of life for residents.

Her participation in the sacred Bonalu celebrations at the Sri Sri Balkampet Yellamma Temple and Sri Ujjaini Mahakali Temple in the Sanathnagar Assembly constituency reflects her respect for Hindu traditions and Telangana’s spiritual heritage. During these auspicious festivals, her focus is on supporting devotees and helping ensure a peaceful and comfortable darshan experience. She raised concerns over the delay in the Balkampet Sri Yellamma Kalyanam Rathotsavam (2026), reportedly due to the late arrival of the local MLA. She emphasized that auspicious muhurats (sacred timings) in Hindu religious rituals hold great significance and should be respected, as they are not meant to be delayed for any individual, regardless of position or political status. Her stand highlighted the importance of preserving traditional customs and respecting the sentiments of devotees.

As part of efforts to promote electoral transparency, she conducted a voter verification drive in Sanathnagar, identifying discrepancies in electoral rolls, including entries of shifted and deceased voters. The initiative was aligned with the broader Vote Chor, Gaddi Chhod campaign led by Rahul Gandhi, which also addressed voter-related concerns in her Assembly Constituency. She has also supervised the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) campaign in the constituency, focusing on voter list verification, accuracy, and ensuring that eligible citizens are properly included in the electoral rolls.

Honors and awards Exceptional Women of Excellence, Women Economic Forum (WEF) 2019

Social Changemaker Award, Indian Women Achievers Awards (IWAA) 2024 - Recognized for contributions toward social impact, public service, and community welfare.

Personal life Neelima married to Pawan Khera, a senior leader of the Indian National Congress who serves as a Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament from Karnataka and is the Chairman of the Congress party’s Media and Publicity Department.