Table of Contents
Telangana Cabinet expansion next week
Four-five Ministers may be inducted; aspirants make a beeline to lobby for Ministerial berth and TPCC chief post
A crucial meeting of the Congress in New Delhi on Thursday night, which was attended by Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, witnessed the go-ahead to the proposed Cabinet expansion in Telangana, with four or five ministers, in the first week of July.
Mr. Revanth Reddy, who has been camping in Delhi for the last four days along with Mr. Vikramarka and Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy and AICC in-charge of TG Deepa Dasmunshi, met AICC general secretary K.C. Venugopal at his residence on Thursday to discuss the Cabinet rejig plan and shortlist a name for the new TPCC chief post.
Sources said that the party high command did not want to fill up all the six Cabinet berths. “The idea is to induct four to five members into the Cabinet keeping the caste equations in order,” a top Congress functionary said.
Including the CM, there are 12 Ministers in the Cabinet and the maximum number can not cross 18. Leaders in the know of things maintained that the party was exploring the chance of accommodating two Reddys, a Velama and an MLA from the BC Mudiraj community.
Representation to Nizamabad and Adilabad
The party is keen on representing Nizamabad and Adilabad districts in the Cabinet. Former Minister and Bodhan MLA P. Sudarshan Reddy and Mancherial MLA Premsagar Rao (hailing from Velama community) are likely to be considered for induction into the Cabinet.
Name of Munugode MLA Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy, brother of Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, too, is doing the rounds. First-time MLA Vakati Srihari Mudiraj from Makthal constituency could also make it to the Cabinet.
The party might, in future, fill up the remaining two vacancies from among the Munnuru Kapu community and a Muslim representative, sources said. Other names under consideration are Malreddy Ranga Reddy and T. Rammohan Reddy (Reddys) and Yellareddy MLA Madan Mohan Rao (Velama).
Defections
The meeting also discussed the issue of defections from other parties. It was decided that MLAs who joined the Congress from other parties will not be immediately inducted into the Cabinet. Also, leaders felt that defection of other party legislators into the party will happen only with the prior knowledge of party leaders and defeated Congress candidate.
New PCC chief
With the term of Mr. Revanth Reddy as the PCC chief coming to an end, he has already announced that a new president would be announced shortly.
This has triggered a rush of leaders lobbying hard with the Central leadership for a chance. The party is unlikely to name a Reddy leader but speculation is rife that the next PCC chief could be from among BC, SC or ST communities.
TPCC working president and MLC B. Mahesh Goud is a front-runner for the top post while former Union Minister and Mahabubabad MP P. Balram Naik is lobbying under the ST quota. Former MLA and AICC Secretary S.A. Sampath Kumar too wants the post claiming to be from the Madiga sub sect among the Scheduled Castes.
Earlier in the day, Mr. Revanth Reddy, in an informal chat with journalists, said that his term as Telangana Congress president has come to an end and he was prepared to work in close coordination with the new TPCC president.
The party leadership will take a decision on the new TPCC chief and he did not have any special choice regarding the appointment. The Chief Minister recalled that the Congress came to power during his tenure as the TPCC president and the party had also performed well in the Lok Sabha elections that followed. This could be seen from the increased vote share of the Congress during Lok Sabha polls.
- Telegram
SEE ALL
PRINT