Mahendra Reddy, who represented Tandur in 2014, saw his rival Rohit Reddy being named as BRS candidate in the constituency.
Published Aug 21, 2023 | 10:12 PM ⚊ Updated Aug 21, 2023 | 10:12 PM
Former minister Patnam Mahendra Reddy. (X)
In what is being seen in political circles as a bid to prevent former minister and MLC Patnam Mahender Reddy from leaving the BRS, Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao is contemplating filling the lone vacancy in the state Cabinet by inducting him either on Tuesday, 22 August, or Wednesday.
Sources told South First that Mahendra Reddy, who represented Tandur in the Assembly in 2014, lost the election to Congress nominee Pilot Rohit Reddy in 2018. After winning, Rohit Reddy joined the BRS, which led to a raging cold war between them as Mahender began seeing Rohit as a threat to his political career.
KCR announced the name of Rohit Reddy for Tandur on Monday, 21 August — but apparently only after he spoke with Mahender Reddy, who has been dropping hints that he might join either the Congress or the BJP in the event of Rohit Reddy getting party ticket.
Now, to keep Mahender Reddy in good humour, KCR is said to have decided to induct him into the Cabinet.
As the present term of the BRS government will come to an end by December, Mahender will be a minister for a little over three months. It is too early to predict if KCR will continue with Mahender in his Cabinet in case he gets a third innings, though one cannot out the possibility.
After Rohit Reddy joined the BRS, both the leaders remained poles apart. They tried to gain an upper hand in the constituency, leading to tensions. The party leadership, too, has received a number of complaints against both of them over how each was trying to stymie the rise of the other in politics.
Lately, the differences between the two leaders reached a flash point. They began criticising each other openly. And now, KCR seemed to have veered around to the conclusion that Mahender would fall in line if he was taken into the Cabinet as Rohit Reddy will be contesting for the Assembly from Tandur.
The lone vacancy in the Cabinet has been lying unfilled after the chief minister unceremoniously dismissed the then health minister Eatala Rajender in May 2021 — who subsequently joined the BJP.
The Telangana state Cabinet has 18 berths, including the chief minister. at present, the number is 18, after Eatala Rajender’s exit.
According to sources, Patnam Mahender Reddy had sought — in lieu of the MLA ticket — Rajya Sabha membership for his wife Sunitha Reddy, who is Zila Parishad chairperson in Rangareddy, when it became clear that he may not get the ticket to contest in the Assembly election this time.
He also showed interest in being inducted into the Cabinet, which might happen in a couple of days.
