As widely expected, Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee president A Revanth Reddy is going to be the Chief Minister of Telangana State, following the Congress’ victory in the just-concluded Assembly elections.
The Congress party’s high command announced Revanth Reddy’s name on Tuesday evening. It took two days for the party to address certain senior leaders’ reservations about Revanth Reddy’s candidature for the CM position. AICC organising general secretary KC Venugopal made the announcement about CM in Delhi in the presence of Telangana Elections Chief observer-Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shiva Kumar, Telangana Congress Affairs in-charge Manikrao Thakre as well as CM position aspirants N Uttam Kumar Reddy and Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka.
Venugopal announced Revanth Reddy’s name as CLP leader after a meeting with N Uttam Kumar Reddy and Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, both of whom had left no stone unturned to get the CM position till the last minute.
Venugopal said:”The party high command selected dynamic leader Revanth Reddy as CLP leader after considering the consequences in Telangana and the opinions of the MLAs elected in the CLP meeting. Revanth Reddy will take oath as CM on December 7. Justice is being done to the senior leaders. There would not be one-man show at any cost in Telangana. The decisions will be taken collectively after discussing in the party”.
Earlier, the party high command finalised Revanth Reddy’s name at a meeting held at the AICC president Mallikarjuna Kharge’s residence, where Kharge earlier had a word with Rahul Gandhi.
Rahul Gandhi suggested Revanth Reddy’s name and left. Priyanka Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi also preferred the name of Revanth Reddy for the CM position, he was told. Finally, KC Venugopal, DK Shiva Kumar, Manikrao Thakre convinced the CM position aspirants-Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, N Uttam Kumar Reddy and others.
Revanth Reddy’s oath-taking ceremony will be held on December 7 at 10.28 AM at the LB Stadium. Revanth Reddy has invited the praja of Telangana for the oath-taking ceremony, declaring that “people’s rule will start now”.
Revanth Reddy is creating history by becoming Congress’ first Chief Minister of Telangana State, taking over from Bharat Rashtra Samithi president K Chandrasekhar Rao, who ruled the state for two terms from 2014. Revanth Reddy is the second leader to become CM after KCR.
It is learnt that DK Shiva Kumar cited his own case while convincing senior leaders Uttam Kumar Reddy and Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, who had argued that Revanth Reddy joined the party a few years ago and hence it was not proper to neglect ‘original and senior leaders’. Shiva Kumar said he had settled for the Deputy Chief Minister position, while accepting the candidature of Siddaramaiah for the CM position only for the sake of the party, though he too was “original Congress leader” and had been in the party from the beginning of his political career.
