Gaddam Vinod Kumar

Gaddam Vinod Venkataswamy (born 16 September 1956) is an Indian politician from Telangana. He is an MLA from Bellampalli Assembly Constituency in Mancherial District. He won the 2023 Telangana Legislative Assembly election.

Early life and education
Vinod is born to Gaddam Venkataswamy and Kalavati. He has a brother and three sisters. He did his schooling at All Saints High School in Hyderabad and later, completed his Class 10 from Hyderabad Public School. He did his intermediate at Nrupatunga Junior College before completing his graduation at Nizam College in 1975.

He is a businessman. He started Veenus Tobacco in 1976. He also started a Cement factory in Vikarabad, which he later sold to India Cements.

He served as vice-president of the Hyderabad Cricket Association and then became its president from 1996 to 2004. His brother Vivek leads Visakha Industries which got a nod to construct the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Uppal, Hyderabad.

He was also the President of the Hyderabad Cricket Association from 2004 to 2010 and again from 2012 to 2014.

Political life
He entered politics in 1999, but lost Chennur Assembly Constituency representing Indian National Congress to Telugu Desam Party’s Boda Janardhan. He came back and defeated him in 2004 election. He served as Minister for Labour and Textiles in Andhra Pradesh from 2004 to 2009 in the Y. S. Rajasekhar Reddy ministry.

Then, he lost the 2009 Assembly Elections to Nalla Odellu from the BRS. Later, he lost the 2010 by-election and the 2014 Assembly election from Chennur against Odellu. He shifted to Bahujan Samaj Party, but lost the 2018 Assembly election from Bellampalli Assembly Constituency against Durgam Chinnaiah of the BRS. In 2023, he returned to Congress and won the Bellampalli Constituency against Durgam Chinnaiah of the BRS polling 82,217 votes with a vote share of 57.96%.