Published Jul 16, 2026 | 11:25 AM ⚊ Updated Jul 16, 2026 | 11:25 AM
Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has been rubbing Rahul Gandhi the wrong way more than once recently. (X)
Synopsis: The likely reshuffle of the Telangana Cabinet in August may see the Congress high command stepping in and wielding the axe.
With all eyes on the long-anticipated expansion of the Telangana Cabinet, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has not suggested dropping any of the present ministers.
Informed sources told South First that the Chief Minister has, during one of his recent visits to Delhi, given a list of only two names to the central leadership for inclusion in the Cabinet.
The two are: P Sudarshan Reddy, who represents Bodhan constituency in Nizamabad district and Aadi Srinivas, MLA from Vemulawada constituency in Karimnagar district.
Sudarshan Reddy is currently an advisor to the State Government, while Srinivas is a whip of the Congress Legislature Party.
While many within the Congress expect a reshuffle, along with filling the two existing vacancies in the Cabinet, the Chief Minister preferred not to get into exclusions lest it lead to a fresh dose of discontent at a time when the party is already riven with internal troubles.
With a rejig of portfolios almost certain, whether the central leadership will sail with Revanth Reddy’s view is unclear. There has been intense speculation that the party high command would like to use the opportunity to drop some of the existing ministers and induct fresh faces as it seeks to beat the mounting anti-incumbency.
Prominent among the names being discussed for inclusion is Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president Mahesh Kumar Goud. If he is inducted, an existing minister from the backward classes will have to be given a different role. There is also a proposal to induct a Lambada (ST) into the ministry.
That Revanth and Mahesh have no love lost between them is now public knowledge. They had a bitter argument on a recent trip to Delhi, which prompted an MP to intervene and cool the tempers. That was about elevating the Chief Minister’s favourite, Faheem, as working president of the PCC. Revanth has been unhappy that Mahesh was not making the recommendation to the high command.
Sources said expansion/reshuffle of the Cabinet is likely only in August, by which time a thorough exercise of analysing the mood on the ground and among the party cadre is completed.
The AICC general secretary for Telangana, Meenakshi Natarajan, is currently in Hyderabad and spending hours seeking feedback, both individually and in groups. She is expected to meet all MLAs, MPs, and MLCs separately in the next few days. Besides, she is holding consultations with presidents of the District Congress Committees (DCCs).
Also Read: Revanth Reddy unruffled as the Telangana Congress kettle threatens to boil over
(Edited by R Rajesh Kumar.)
