Telangana Congress MP N Uttam Kumar Reddy on Sunday, August 20 denied reports that he is planning to quit the party and announced that he and his wife Padmavathi will be contesting in the coming Assembly elections as Congress candidates. The MP from Nalgonda announced that he will contest from Huzurnagar Assembly constituency while Padmavathi will be the Congress candidate from Kodad constituency.

In a video statement, Uttam Kumar Reddy clarified that there is no truth in reports being circulated on social media for the last few days that he was planning to quit the Congress party. "For the last few days there have been speculations, rumours and misinformation campaign that we are changing the party. I condemn this misinformation," he said.

"I am stating this with clarity that at the invitation of AICC and PCC election committees, I will be contesting the coming Assembly elections from Huzurnagar while Padmavathi Reddy will contest from Kodad as Congress candidates," he said.

Uttam said that he served the people of Huzurnagar and Kodad constituencies during the last 30 years as MLA, minister, MP, PCC president and whether he was in opposition or in the ruling party. "Our lives are dedicated to the people of this region. I hope that people will continue to bless us with their affection and support," he said.

Uttam was elected to the Telangana Assembly from Huzurnagar in 2018. After his election from Nalgonda Lok Sabha constituency in 2019, he resigned from Huzurnagar. His wife Padmavathi had contested the bye-election as a Congress candidate but was defeated by Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) candidate Saidi Reddy. In 2018, Padmavathi had lost the election in Kodad by 756 votes. She was earlier elected from the same constituency in 2014.

Uttam had resigned as Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president, owning moral responsibility for the party’s defeat in 2018 Assembly elections.

A former Indian Air Force (IAF) fighter pilot, he had also served as a state minister in undivided Andhra Pradesh.