Gadwal Vijayalakshmi

Indian politician

In this Telugu name, the surname is  Gadwal.

Gadwal Vijayalakshmi

Vijayalakshmi in 2021

18th Mayor of Hyderabad

Incumbent

Assumed office
11 February 2021
Deputy| Mothe Srilatha Reddy
Preceded by| Bonthu Rammohan
Personal details
Born|  (1964-06-21) 21 June 1964 (age 60)[1][2]
Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, (present-day Telangana), India
Citizenship| India (till 1999; 2009–present)
United States (1999–2009)[3]
Political party| Indian National Congress (30 March 2024–present)
Other political
affiliations| Bharat Rashtra Samithi (2016– 30 March 2024)
Spouse| Bobby Reddy
Parent|

* K. Keshava Rao (father)

Residence(s)| Hyderabad, Telangana, India
Alma mater| Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan
Sultan-ul-Uloom College of Law

Gadwal Vijayalakshmi is an Indian politician serving as the current mayor of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) since 11 February 2021. A former American citizen, she emigrated back to India to join politics[3] and went on to become the fifth woman mayor of Hyderabad and the first post formation of the state of Telangana.[4][5]

Gadwal Vijayalakshmi joined Congress in the presence of Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and AICC in-charge Deepa Dasmunsi on 30 March 2024.[6][7]

## Early life

[edit]

Gadwal Vijayalakshmi is born to a politician K. Keshava Rao and his wife Vasantha Kumar. Rao is a politician from Indian National Congress party and Member of Parliament who represented Andhra Pradesh in the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Indian Parliament.[2]

Vijayalakshmi married Bobby Reddy whom she met at ICRISAT tennis club.[8]

## Education

[edit]

Vijayalakshmi completed her secondary school at Holy Mary School, Hyderabad and Junior College at Reddy Women's College, Hyderabad, Bachelor's in Journalism from Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan and Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from Sultan-ul-Uloom Law College, Hyderabad.

She emigrated to the United States and obtained a US green card in 1988 following which she got married and settled there. Later, she took American citizenship in 1999.[4][3] While staying in North Carolina, United States Gadwal Vijayalakshmi worked at Duke University, cardiology department as research scholar.[2]

## Political career

[edit]

In the year 2004, she emigrated back to India and eventually left her American citizenship in 2009 to join politics.[9][4][3][10] In 2016 she contested as a corporator from the TRS party and won. In 2020 she contested from Banjara Hills ward as a corporator and won. On 11 February 2021, she was elected as the first woman Mayor after the formation of Telangana state in 2014.[11]

## Controversies

[edit]

### Stray dog attack incident

[edit]

On February 19, 2023, a tragic incident occurred in Hyderabad when a 4-year-old boy was fatally attacked by three stray dogs on a deserted street, with graphic footage circulating on social media.[12] The boy was rushed to the hospital but was pronounced dead upon arrival.[13]

In response to the incident, as the mayor, Vijayalakshmi held a press conference on February 21,[14] confirming that the dogs involved had previously been sterilized as part of the GHMC's animal birth control program.[15] She suggested that the dogs might have become aggressive due to hunger, as a regular feeder in the area had been absent for two days. Vijayalakshmi emphasized the importance of dog adoption and announced plans to put up 600 dogs for adoption each month.

However, her comments faced backlash, particularly from the Congress party, which demanded her resignation and an ex-gratia payment of Rs. 50 lakh to the victim's family.[16] Additionally, filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma criticized the mayor for her response and expressed frustration with the GHMC's handling of the situation.[17] The controversy continued to escalate, with Varma's comments gaining attention on social media.[18]

On March 7, Vijayalakshmi offered a Rs. 9.7 lakh ex-gratia payment to the grieving family of the young victim and reaffirmed efforts to address the issue of stray dogs through awareness programs and control measures.[19]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Hyderabad Mayor Gadwal Vijayalakshmi plants saplings, donats blood on her birthday". The Hans India. 22 June 2021.
2. ^ a b c "Mayor a highly educated and accomplished person". The Hindu. 11 February 2021. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
3. ^ a b c d "Mayor post: Vijayalakshmi's citizenship under scrutiny". The Times of India. 8 February 2016.
4. ^ a b c Vibhavari, Sruthi (11 February 2021). "From renouncing US citizenship to becoming Hyderabad mayor, the story of Vijayalaxmi". The Siasat Daily.
5. ^ "Twin posts held by women for first time". The Hindu. 12 February 2021.
6. ^ The New Indian Express (30 March 2024). "Hyderabad Mayor Gadwal Vijayalakshmi joins Congress in presence of TS CM Revanth Reddy". Archived from the original on 30 March 2024. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
7. ^ The Hindu (30 March 2024). "GHMC Mayor Gadwal Vijayalaxmi joins Congress, her father KK to follow soon". Archived from the original on 30 March 2024. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
8. ^ "GHMC Mayor Gadwal Vijayalakshmi Love Story". Sakshi (media group). 14 February 2021. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
9. ^ "Quarterly Publication of Individuals, Who Have Chosen To Expatriate, as Required by Section 6039G". Federal Register. 26 February 2010. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
10. ^ "Who is Gadwal Vijayalakshmi, Hyderabad Mayor Who Left US Citizenship To Enter Politics". Essel Group (India.com). 11 February 2021. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
11. ^ "Meet Hyderabad's First Ever Female Mayor G Vijayalakshmi". India Times. 11 February 2021. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
12. ^ "Hyderabad: 4-year-old child bitten to death by street dogs, shocking incident caught on CCTV camera". The Economic Times. 21 February 2023. ISSN 0013-0389. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
13. ^ Bureau, The Hindu (21 February 2023). "Four-year-old boy mauled to death by stray dogs in Hyderabad". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 4 September 2023. `{{cite news}}`: `|last=` has generic name (help)
14. ^ Bureau, The Hindu (21 February 2023). "Mayor of Hyderabad denies GHMC's responsibility". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 4 September 2023. `{{cite news}}`: `|last=` has generic name (help)
15. ^ "Hyderabad Mayor Gadwal Vijayalaxmi orders probe into canine attack". The New Indian Express. 22 February 2023. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
16. ^ "Dog menace in Hyderabad: Congress demands mayor's resignation". 23 February 2023.
17. ^ "RGV takes jab at GHMC Mayor Vijayalaxmi, asks her to be made 'international mayor of dogs'". The New Indian Express. 5 March 2021. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
18. ^ "Hyderabad Mayor Gadwal R. Vijayalakshmi feeding her pet goes viral". March 2021.
19. ^ "Ex-gratia of Rs 9.7 lakh in dog bite death in Hyderabad". The Times of India. 7 March 2023. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 4 September 2023.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Gadwal Vijayalakshmi.

* Gadwal Vijayalakshmi on Twitter