He is all set to sign his first file relating to the six guarantees of the Congress after he is sworn in as the chief minister.
Revanth Reddy met Sonia Gandi and thanked her for the formation of Telangana State. (X)
All arrangements are in place for the grand spectacle. TPCC chief A Revanth Reddy, who has been elected Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader, is poised to take over as the first Congress chief minister of Telangana at the auspicious time of 1.04 pm at LB Stadium in Hyderabad on Thursday, 7 December.
He is all set to sign his first file relating to the six guarantees of the Congress after he is sworn in as the chief minister. The six guarantees played a pivotal role in helping the Congress come to power.
The event would not only serve as a watershed in Telangana’s history but also redefine the course of the country’s youngest state’s journey into the future. It would be a seminal moment for Revanth Reddy in his political career.
The occasion would be a throwback to the past when the late YS Rajasekhar Reddy steamrolled to power after taking down the doughty N Chandrababu Naidu in the 2004 Assembly elections. After his victory, Rajasekhar Reddy took oath as the chief minister at the same LB stadium where he signed his first file relating to free power supply to the farmers in the erstwhile state of Andhra Pradesh.
As the officials are busy making arrangements for Revanth Reddy’s coronation by Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan, the chief minister-designate was in Delhi on Wednesday, discussing the composition of his new Cabinet with the party’s high command.
According to party sources South First reached out to, a galaxy of leaders, including the party’s matriarch Sonia Gandhi, leader Rahul Gandhi, and AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge, are expected to grace the occasion.
The Congress has also extended invitations to chief ministers of neighbouring Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and Siddaramaiah, respectively, former chief ministers K Chandrashekar Rao and N Chandrababu Naidu, besides the chief ministers of Congress-ruled states, former chief ministers, AICC leaders and those of the parties of the Opposition bloc INDIA.
Revanth Reddy took enough care that invitations were also sent to the families of Telangana martyrs and Telangana protagonists, apparently to establish the fact that he was not going to ignore their contribution to the formation of the Telangana state.
One of the main allegations against former chief minister KCR was that after the formation of Telangana in 2014, he had ignored most of them.
Revanth Reddy kept his word of inviting a differently abled woman Rajini when the latter made representation to him at Gandhi Bhavn in October.
She had told him that though she completed her post-graduation, she did not get a job. Revanth promised her a job and it is said he will sign the file relating to her appointment to a suitable vacancy in the government after he is sworn in.
In Delhi, Revanth Reddy conferred with Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal on Tuesday night after arrival in the nation’s capital, and discussed the composition of the new Cabinet with him.
Revanth Reddy, who remained in Delhi on Wednesday also, called on Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, and Mallikarjun Kharge and invited them to attend the ceremony, besides discussing the broad contours of the new Cabinet with them.
He also reportedly discussed the names that he intended to take into his Cabinet and also sought their advice.
Revanth is understood to have expressed his gratitude to Sonia Gandhi for gifting Telangana state to its people about 10 years ago. He thanked Rahul and Priyanka for touring Telangana and laying a strong foundation for the victory of the party in the Assembly election.
He held lengthy talks with Venugopal, AICC observer and Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, and Telangana in-charge Manickrao Thakare on the composition of the Cabinet on Wednesday as well. He went to Parliament along with Congress Rajya Sabha member from Haryana Deepender Singh Hooda and met the Lok Sabha Speaker as he had to resign as Malkajgiri MP.
Rahul Gandhi earlier in the day, in a message on X, said: “Congratulations to Telangana’s CM designate. Under his leadership, the Congress government will fulfil all its guarantees to the people of Telangana and build a prajala sarkar (people’s government).”
Congratulations to Telangana’s CM Designate, @revanth_anumula.
Under his leadership, the Congress govt will fulfill all its Guarantees to the people of Telangana and build a Prajala Sarkar. pic.twitter.com/ExfUlqY8Ic
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) December 6, 2023
During the day, Nalgonda MP N Uttam Kumar Reddy, who has been elected to the state Assembly from the Huzurnagar constituency, and CLP leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, who has been elected from the Madhira constituency, held talks with Venugopal for some time.
They are believed to have sought important portfolios. Later, Manthani MLA D Sridhar Babu and Mancherial legislator K Premsagar Rao met him and reportedly sought their inclusion in the Cabinet.
There might be two deputy chief minister posts in the Cabinet, one of which may go to Vikramarka, as the Congress is trying to acquire pro-Dalit look ahead of Lok Sabha elections next year. The other one might go to Ponnam Prabhakar, a BC-Gouda MLA from Husnabad.
Revanth Reddy may not fill all the 17 berths in the Cabinet (18 including himself) but would leave some vacant so that, in the case of pressing necessity in the future, he would have the freedom to fill them without having to ease anyone out.
Apart from the 17 berths, there are other posts which could be filled with the legislators. They are the Speaker, the Deputy Speaker, the chief whip, and two whips.
Uttam Kumar Reddy, who fought for the post of chief minister, has finally reconciled to remain as a member of the Cabinet or go as TPCC president if he finds it difficult to work under Revanth Reddy.
As it is not equal to the post of chief minister, as a measure of compensation, his wife Padmavathy might be taken into the Cabinet.
At the same time, they would have to think twice as, if Uttam is taken as TPCC President, then both the chief minister and party head would be from the same community which might send a signal that the party is pro-upper caste.
It is also likely that Revanth Reddy would take former deputy chief minister C Damodar Rajanarasimha, MLA from Andole, as he belongs to the Madiga sub-caste of the SC and would balance out the presence of Mallu, a Mala, in the Cabinet.
The must-have members in the Cabinet include Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy and Thummala Nageswara Rao but since Vikramarka is from the Khammam district, Thummala might be asked to accept the Speaker’s post.
From Warangal district, there is Mulugu MLA Danasari Anasuya alias Seethakka. She is not only popular among the tribals but also is a strong supporter of Revanth Reddy. The party also cannot afford to ignore Konda Surekha, a BC woman belonging to the Padmashali caste. She is also a former minister.
Then three Velama leaders are seeking berths in the Cabinet. They are K Premsagar Rao from Macherial, Jupalli Krishna Rao from Kollapur, and Gandra Satyanarayana Rao from Bhupalpalle. Of them, Premsagar Rao, along with D Sridhar Babu, a Brahmin MLA from Manthani, called on KC Venugopal in Delhi on Wednesday.
With the Congress drawing a blank in all the 15 Assembly segments in Hyderabad, it would be difficult for the Congress to provide representation to the area. The only option left for the party is to include Ibrahimptnam MLA Malreddy Ranga Reddy as his constituency is close to Hyderabad.
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