# Gottipati Ravi Kumar

Gottipati Ravi Kumar (born 9 November 1974), commonly known as Bujji, is an Indian politician currently serving as an Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) and cabinet minister in Andhra Pradesh. He has been elected to the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly five times, with four terms representing the Addanki Assembly constituency and one term for Martur Assembly constituency.
Ravi Kumar is the Minister for Energy in the current Fourth N. Chandrababu Naidu ministry and has won elections in 2004, 2009, 2014, 2019, and 2024, representing three different political parties. He is currently the member of Telugu Desam Party.

## Early life and education

Kumar was born in 1976 to Seshagiri Rao. He completed his intermediate studies at Vidwan Junior College in Guntur and graduated from B.I.E.T. College in Davangere, Karnataka in 1993. He is from a farming family, and also runs his own business.

## Political career

Kumar began his political career with the Indian National Congress (INC),contesting in the 2004 Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly election from the Martur Assembly constituency. He won, defeating Gottipati Narasimha Rao of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) by a margin of 13,806 votes. In 2009 Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly election, he was re-elected to the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly as an INC candidate, this time representing the Addanki Assembly constituency, where he defeated Karanam Balaram Krishna Murthy of TDP by a margin of 15,764 votes.
He later joined the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) and in the 2014 Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly election, he won from Addanki, defeating Karanam Venkatesh of TDP by a margin of 4,235 votes. On 27 April 2016, Kumar left YSRCP and joined TDP in the presence of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu. In the 2019 Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly election, he was re-elected from Addanki as a TDP candidate, defeating Bachina Chenchu Garataiah of the YSRCP by a margin of 12,991 votes.
Kumar was notably the only candidate from among the 23 YSRCP MLAs who defected to the TDP after the 2014 elections to secure a victory in 2019. In the 2024 Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly election, he continued his winning streak from the Addanki constituency, breaking his previous record by achieving a victory margin of 24,840 votes, setting a new personal and constituency record. In 2024, he was inducted into the Andhra Pradesh cabinet as the Minister of Energy in the Fourth N. Chandrababu Naidu ministry.

## Election history

Election results :
| Year | Office | Constituency | Party | Votes | % | Opponent | Party | Votes | % | Result |
| 2004 | MLA | Martur | Indian National Congress | 64,983 | 55.31 | Gottipati Narasaih | Telugu Desam Party | 51,177 | 43.56 | Won |
| 2009 | MLA | Addanki | Indian National Congress | 86,035 | 49.59 | Karanam Balarama Krishna Murthy | Telugu Desam Party | 70,271 | 40.50 | Won |
| 2014 | MLA | Addanki | YSR Congress Party | 99,537 | 50.03 | Karanam Venkatesh | Telugu Desam Party | 95,302 | 47.90 | Won |
| 2019 | MLA | Addanki | Telugu Desam Party | 105,545 | 50.86 | Chenchu Garataiah Bachina | YSR Congress Party | 92,554 | 44.60 | Won |
| 2024 | MLA | Addanki | Telugu Desam Party | 116,418 | 54.02 | Panem Chinna Hanimi Reddy | YSR Congress Party | 91,528 | 42.47 | Won |