Having been in office for 18 months, the noise surrounding the cabinet expansion has hovered over the Congress government for the past few months.
Published Apr 18, 2025 | 9:00 AM ⚊ Updated Apr 18, 2025 | 10:10 AM
Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy (centre) at a Cabinet subcommittee meeting. (Supplied)
Synopsis: With only 12 ministers, the chief minister himself holds 12 portfolios in the government. A senior journalist noted that if the cabinet expansion continues to be delayed, it will negatively affect the departments in the long run.
Telangana witnessed some back-to-back political drama on 13 April and 14 April when two MLAs of the ruling Congress, aspiring to be ministers in the Revanth Reddy-led Cabinet, took shots at other leaders and the state leadership.
On 13 April, Munugode MLA Komatireddy Rajagopal aired dirty laundry publicly. Taking a shot at former minister Jana Reddy’s bid for representation, he said: “Jana Reddy, a minister for three decades, is now citing the need for representation for Rangareddy and Hyderabad in the cabinet to delay my entry.”
The next day, Mancherial MLA Prem Sagar Rao criticised the leadership regarding the cabinet expansion. “Those who recently joined the party, from BJP and BRS, are asking for Ministership, just like those who didn’t even move during the padayatra,” the Mancherial MLA said.
“Those who came yesterday and the day before are trying to suppress the voices of Adivasis, Dalits, other minorities, and even me,” he alleged. He asked if he had not done enough for the party, warning that misallocating ministerial berths could cost the party Mancherial.
Having been in office for 18 months, the noise surrounding the cabinet expansion has hovered over the Congress government for the past few months. With only 12 ministers, the chief minister himself holds 12 portfolios in the government.
With speculation building as the days pass and the Delhi visits stack, what does holding onto 12 ministries mean for Revanth Reddy?
The Indian Constitution lists a set of guidelines regarding the Chief Minister and the Council of Ministers under Part VI – The States. As per Article 164(1), “The chief minister shall be appointed by the Governor and the other ministers shall be appointed by the Governor on the advice of the chief minister.”
This implies that all the portfolios lie with the chief minister by default before allocation. Hence, even the Telangana State Portal lists “Municipal Administration and Urban Development; General Administration, Law & Order and all other unallocated portfolios” under the chief minister’s portfolio.
Under Article 164(1A), the Constitution describes limits on the number of ministers that can make up the cabinet. It holds that the number shall not exceed fifteen percent, which, in Telangana’s case, is about 18 ministers. However, it clarifies that the limit is “Provided that the number of ministers, including the Chief Minister in a State, shall not be less than twelve.”
This leaves Telangana in an interesting position. It has the bare minimum of 12 seats, however, it only has room for about 6 more.
During Prem Sagar Rao’s tirade on 14 April, he stressed that outsiders were being rewarded with portfolios, overlooking the loyalists. Notably, Revenue Minister Ponguletti Srinivas joined the Congress just ahead of the 2023 polls. Similarly, Agriculture Minister Tummula Nageswara Rao joined the Congress before the polls.
They were joined in the cabinet by a third turncoat, with Tourism Minister Jupally Krishna Rao also joining the Congress during the same period.
The following is the list of portfolios under the chief minister:
Senior journalist CR Gowri Shanker noted that such trouble in the cabinet is a hallmark of the Congress. The former political editor at Deccan Chronicle, with over 40 years of experience, noted a key difference between the Congress and BRS.
“BRS is a regional party. Erstwhile chief minister KCR could decide who the Council of Ministers would be. However, the Congress is a national party. It relies on the high command to allocate portfolios. And that decision is subject to numerous gravitational forces with regard to regional and community representation. That is apart from the expectations of longtime Congress workers,” he explained.
He delved into these dynamics further. “There are a lot of people with more experience than Revanth Reddy in the Congress. There are also others vying for power, whether it’s the Nalgonda Reddys or the Komatireddy brothers. They are all making movies to try and pressure the government for a cabinet berth,” he elaborated.
“Take the example of Nalgonda, for instance, Minister Komatireddy’s brother, Rajagopal, is vying for a portfolio. There are rumours that Uttam Kumar Reddy is demanding a portfolio for his wife to maintain the status quo,” he said.
“Even with Prem Sagar Rao, he is asking for an acknowledgement of his work in the Congress. He sees people who entered the party from other places getting MLA and Minitership opportunities,” he added.
“Even MLCs like Vijayshanthi and Amer Ali are throwing their hat into the ring for a berth. Additionally, they have to accommodate BCs and SCs,” he added.
He explained that the interaction of all these factors is directly related to the delay in the cabinet expansion despite being in power for over 18 months. Shanker noted that in the process, it is natural for one or the other to be upset.
Shanker said that, in the entirety of the situation, the chief minister is in a state of helplessness because the Congress high command decides who becomes minister and who does not.
“All 12 ministries under the chief minister are important,” he stated.
“Because of the accumulation of portfolios under him, the supervision of these portfolios is affected. The government is already fighting numerous cases against the previous regime. The government would benefit from having dedicated Ministers,” he said.
“Government officials cannot bring every file to the chief minister. Being the CM, he is often busy with a lot of things, not just official but also political. This will only lead to delays in the department’s functioning. The department would benefit much more from a full-fledged minister,” Shanker observed.
“If the cabinet expansion continues to get delayed, it will negatively affect the departments in the long run. Not just that, it will also lead to much discontent within the party,” he predicted.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil.)
