Though the Congress officially announced Revanth Reddy as the next Chief Minister of Telangana on Tuesday, the decision for the deputy chief minister post is yet to be finalised.
Senior Congress leaders Uttam Kumar Reddy and Bhatti Vikramarka have actively lobbied for the deputy chief minister’s position, adding an element of suspense to the government formation process in Telangana.
Earlier in the day, top Congress leaders met at the residence of Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge to discuss the matter of government formation in the southern state. During this meeting, Revanth Reddy’s name was cleared for the chief ministerial role. Reddy, the state Congress chief, played a pivotal role in the party’s success in the recently concluded assembly polls.
On the other hand, former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi met with Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge at his residence. Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, along with Telangana Congress in-charge Manikrao Thakre, was also present during the meeting. Rahul Gandhi reportedly expressed his preference for Revanth Reddy as the Chief Minister of Telangana.
Shivakumar, who served as one of the party’s observers, engaged with newly-elected MLAs in Telangana to gather their perspectives on government formation. After submitting his report to the Congress president, the decision to appoint Revanth Reddy was made after careful consideration of the report and consultations with senior party leadership, as conveyed by Venugopal.