HYDERABAD: With the high command picking A Revanth Reddy as the next chief minister of Telangana, the spotlight has shifted to who among the Congress MLAs will get plum posts like the Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Assembly and Cabinet berths. In particular, there are many leaders eligible for the Speaker’s post, though some senior leaders would prefer Cabinet berths.
Veteran leaders with multiple terms as MLAs, are considered the most eligible. N Uttam Kumar Reddy, Thummala Nageswar Rao and Konda Surekha are six-time MLAs while Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, D Sridhar Babu and Jupalli Krishna Rao have been to the Assembly five times. P Sudharshan Reddy, Damodar Rajanarsimha, Revuri Prakash Reddy and Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka are four-time MLAs while Seethakka is a third-time Legislator.
However, while some of these senior leaders are avoiding discussions about the Speaker’s post, others have requested the party high command not to nominate them. Therefore, the possibility of a woman MLA or SC MLA being entrusted with the responsibility of the Speaker’s post appears more likely.
For the Deputy Speaker’s post, the talk is that it will go to a leader who has been elected to the Assembly at least twice. The names doing the rounds of political circles include Ch Vamshikrishna, Malreddy Rangareddy, Ch Vijayaramana Rao, N Padmavati Reddy, Rajagopal Reddy, Balu Naik, Vemula Veeresham, Donti Madhava Reddy, Koram Kanakaiah, Payam Venkateswarlu, G Vinod, Rama Mohan Reddy, Yennem Srinivas Reddy and Gaddam Prasad.
The Congress leadership is expected to turn its attention to these posts after finalising the Cabinet berths and the swearing-in ceremony. The selection process will be based on the experience and capabilities in handling Legislative affairs.