Kishenji’s wife Maniakka, alias Sujatha, is a member of the Dandakaranya special zonal committee in Chhattisgarh. She was earlier secretary of the South Bastar divisonal committee.

He faced several cases in AP including killing of elected representatives.

Kishenji was accused of killing the former AP Speaker Sripada Rao, Sirpur MLA Purushottam Rao, TD Karshak Parishat founder president Duggirala Venkat Rao, and MPTC Malhal Rao. He carried a reward of Rs 12 lakh.

He was a member of the politburo, the apex body, of the CPI Maoist and also a member of the Central Committee and Central Military Commission.

In 2007-08, Kishenji concentrated on the Lalgarh area of West Midnapur distrct and is said to have planned the land mine attack on then CM Buddhadeb Bhattacharya.

He gave interviews directly to the media, calling himself Kishenji. He played a key role in building up the people’s militia in West Midnapore.

He was guiding the Northern Regional Bureau consisting of UP and Bihar. He was one of the key factors for the CPM’s debacle. Police said he was trying to implement the AP formula where Maoists supported opposition parties.

Kishenji completed school in 1969 and graduated from Adarsha College in Jammikunta. He enrolled for an LLB in Hyderabad but gave up after the first year. It was then, in 1975-76, that he joined the Radical Students Union (RSU) and participated in agitations. During the Emergency, he went underground.

In 1979, he was arrested by the Peddapally police and after his release was made commander of the Pedda-pally dalam in Karimnagar from where his rise in the Maoist hierarchy began.

In 2007-08, he concentrated on the agitation in Lalgarh and is believed to have planned the landmine attack on Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya.

Kishenji was seriously injured in police firing in March in West Bengal. He was back in action and was a strong contender for the top post.

DC