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Tippiri Tirupathi alias Debuji, a Dalit from Telangana’s Jagtial district, is likely to take over as the new general secretary of the outlawed CPI (Maoist). He will be succeeding Nambala Keshav Rao alias Basavraju, who was killed in an encounter with security forces in Chhattisgarh on May 21 this year.
According to media reports, the CPI (Maoist) Central Committee has finalised Tirupathi as its new chief, making him the second leader from the erstwhile Karimnagar district to hold the post. The first was Muppala Lakshman Rao alias Ganapathi, a native of Beerpur in Jagtial, who led the party until stepping down due to age and health issues in 2018.
Tirupathi, now in his early 60s, hails from Ambedkar Nagar in Korutla town of Jagtial district and belongs to the Madiga community. He studied up to Intermediate before turning to radical politics in the early 1980s. Active with the Radical Students’ Union during his college days, he was first implicated in violent clashes with ABVP activists in Karimnagar. In 1983, he formally joined the CPI-ML (People’s War Group) and went underground, beginning a four-decade-long career in the Maoist movement.
Starting as a dalam member in Gadchiroli, Tirupathi rose steadily through the ranks, serving as area and divisional commander, and later assuming leadership roles in the Dandakaranya zone. By 2001, he had been inducted into both the CPI (Maoist)’s Central Committee and its powerful Central Military Commission (CMC), the armed wing of the organisation. He also contributed to the Central Technical Committee and was a key participant in the 2007 Unity Congress.
Known for his guerrilla warfare expertise, Tirupathi edited the underground military publication Awami Jung and regularly issued communiques on behalf of the CMC. Fluent in Telugu, Hindi and Gondi, he was last traced to the Maad region of Chhattisgarh, operating with an AK-47. Security agencies have announced a reward of Rs 25 lakh for information leading to his capture.
Tirupathi’s elevation comes at a time when the Maoist movement is grappling with severe setbacks, including the loss of over two dozen cadres alongside Keshav Rao in Operation Kagaar, and declining influence in several strongholds. His appointment reportedly came after deliberations between two frontrunners, Tirupathi, who leads the CMC, and Mallojula Venugopal Rao, the party’s current ideological head. Ultimately, the Central Committee is understood to have chosen Tirupathi for his organisational and military acumen.