The Congress chief in Telangana, N Uttam Kumar Reddy, on Monday said that he has promised not to shave his beard till his party comes to power in the state. He made his vow public when reporters asked him why he, a former Air Force officer who has always been clean-shaven, was growing beard. “My reply was I will maintain beard till Congress comes to power in Telangana. It has enthused party cadres,” he told PTI. Telangana will go to polls in 2019.

The 54-year-old MLA from Nalgonda district, who is also the former Aide-de-Camp and Comptroller to the President, is currently the face of the Opposition in Telangana. Recently, he has upped the ante against the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi government by protesting on issues like farmers’ loan waiver and releasing reimbursement dues for students.

In 2014, the Congress had won 21 seats in the 119-member Assembly. The TRS had formed the first government in Telangana after winning a majority of seats.