The Congress central leadership has officially appointed Telangana party chief A. Revanth Reddy as the designated Chief Minister of the State, concluding two days of speculation. He is set to take the oath of office on December 7.
Mr. Reddy has been named the leader of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) and will be the first Congress Chief Minister of Telangana since the state’s creation in 2014. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge approved this decision based on insights from the party’s poll observers.
Elected with a substantial majority from the Kodangal Assembly constituency, Mr. Reddy, however, along with outgoing Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao, faced defeat in the Kamareddy seat to BJP candidate Katipally Venkataramana Reddy.
At a press briefing in New Delhi, All India Congress Committee general secretary K.C. Venugopal announced that the decision was made following feedback from the Congress observers, which included Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar and party in-charge for Telangana Manikrao Thakare. The observers had participated in the Telangana CLP meeting held in Hyderabad on December 4, which empowered the party president to select the CLP leader.
Mr. Venugopal described Mr. Reddy as a dynamic leader, emphasizing his extensive campaigning efforts alongside senior leaders in preparation for the election. He reaffirmed the party’s dedication to fulfilling the aspirations of the people of Telangana and highlighted that the new government’s primary focus will be on meeting the commitments made to voters. He indicated that the formation of the government would be a collaborative effort involving all stakeholders.
The observers were present at the press conference, accompanied by former CLP leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and Nalgonda MP N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, both of whom had also sought the chief ministerial post. Prior to the announcement, they had separate discussions with the central observers and Mr. Shivakumar.
Meanwhile, the party is now turning its attention to the formation of the new Cabinet, which can comprise up to 17 ministers in addition to the Chief Minister. Balancing the ambitions of its 64 MLAs—who include both newcomers and experienced politicians—will be a challenging task for the leadership.
Published – December 05, 2023, 07:52 pm IST
