Telangana Congress Shifts Focus to Cabinet Expansion and New State President Appointment

Hyderabad, June 7, 2024 — With the Lok Sabha elections concluded, the ruling Congress party in Telangana is now concentrating on the expansion of the state Cabinet and the appointment of a new state President. Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy departed for New Delhi on Friday to attend a Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting to discuss the election results and the pending Cabinet expansion.

The Congress government in Telangana marked its six-month anniversary in office, with CM Revanth Reddy and his 11 Cabinet colleagues having taken the oath on December 7, 2023. Despite previous discussions on Cabinet expansion during Reddy’s visits to Delhi, no decisions were made due to the focus on the Lok Sabha polls. With the elections now over, the party is gearing up for the expansion, which is expected to finalize the names of six new ministers soon.

The state Cabinet can have a maximum of 18 ministers, including the Chief Minister. Various aspirants have been waiting for the expansion, with demands for representation from different quarters. The Congress leadership is considering inducting a Muslim leader into the Cabinet, who can later be nominated to the Legislative Council, due to the absence of elected Muslim candidates in the November 30 Assembly elections.

There are also calls to include senior leaders like Madhu Yaskhi Goud and Jagga Reddy, who did not secure Assembly seats. The party aims to balance representation across communities and regions that were previously overlooked.

Additionally, CM Revanth Reddy is expected to seek approval from the central leadership to fill nominated posts, such as chairpersons of various corporations.

The Congress party gained power from the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) in the November 30 Assembly election, winning 64 out of 119 seats. The party increased its tally to 65 by securing the Secunderabad Cantonment seat in a by-election held alongside the Lok Sabha polls on May 13.

The Congress leadership is also set to appoint a new President for the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC), a position currently held by CM Revanth Reddy. Although this appointment was considered after Reddy became Chief Minister, the central leadership decided to delay the change until after the Lok Sabha elections. Revanth Reddy has served as TPCC President since 2021.