The Congress party has finally decided to expand the Telangana cabinet before Ugadi after multiple meetings and delays.
On Monday, Congress general secretary K.C. Venugopal called Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, Deputy CM Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, and Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy to New Delhi for discussions. The meeting lasted two hours and was attended by AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, and State in-charge Meenakshi Natarajan. One of the main topics discussed was the cabinet expansion.
Sources reveal that the Congress high command has planned the following allocations: two ministerial positions for the BC (Backward Class) communities, and one each for the Reddy, Muslim minority, SC (Scheduled Caste), and ST (Scheduled Tribe) communities.
Senior leader P. Sudharshan Reddy is likely to be included in the cabinet to represent the old Nizamabad district, which currently lacks representation. Additionally, Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy is being considered, as he was promised a ministerial position when he returned to Congress from the BJP before the 2023 Assembly elections.
There is also discussion about including Vijayashanti, a recently elected leader, if the party decides to appoint another woman minister. Meanwhile, Mancherial MLA K. Prem Sagar Rao is pushing for a cabinet position since Adilabad district is currently unrepresented.
For the BC quota, hopeful candidates include Alair MLA Birla Ilaiah, Vakiti Srihari, and Adi Srinivas. MLC Amer Ali Khan is the leading contender for the Muslim ministerial berth.
From Rangareddy district, MLA Malreddy Rangareddy has been actively lobbying for a position and even hinted at taking “extreme political decisions” if denied a cabinet post. Similarly, Devarakonda MLA Balu Naik is pushing for a ministerial seat, as there are no ST ministers in the cabinet. The party reportedly offered him the Deputy Speaker post, but he is insisting on a cabinet berth.
The Congress leadership has reportedly decided not to include former BRS leaders who recently joined the party, as their disqualification case is still pending in the Supreme Court. This means senior leaders like Kadiam Srihari and Danam Nagendar may not be inducted.
An official announcement regarding the Telangana cabinet expansion is expected by Tuesday or Wednesday.
