HYDERABAD: Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy appears all set to go ahead with the long-delayed Cabinet expansion, possibly as early as Sunday.
Three of the six vacancies are likely to be filled. Among the frontrunners are first-time MLAs G Vivek (SC-Mala), Adluri Laxman Kumar (SC-Madiga) and Vakiti Srihari (BC-Mudiraj). Party insiders said the high command is aiming for social balance.
However, there has been no official confirmation from the Raj Bhavan or the chief minister’s office yet. Nevertheless, Congress sources said that the party high command has given the green signal to induct new ministers.
Intense lobbying among aspirants continues, with a delegation of Congress MLAs from the Madiga community meeting Revanth on Saturday evening, pressing for more representation in the Cabinet. AICC Telangana in-charge Meenakshi Natarajan also reportedly met the CM on Friday.
If only three berths are filled as expected, there will likely be no spots during this round of Cabinet expansion for leaders from the Reddy and Velama communities, traditionally dominant in state politics. This is said to have triggered discontent within the party ranks.
Leaders from Hyderabad, Rangareddy, and Nizamabad districts have also voiced resentment over continued exclusion. Notably, Ibrahimpatnam MLA Malreddy Ranga Reddy has publicly demanded a place in the Cabinet.
Another notable gap is the absence of Muslim representation. Senior Congress leaders are urging the leadership to uphold the party’s legacy of inclusivity by addressing this omission in the upcoming expansion.
Long list of aspirants for berths in Revanth’s Cabinet
The list of aspirants remains long and diverse, with Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy, Malreddy Ranga Reddy, P Sudharshan Reddy, G Prasad (SCMala), Kavvampalli Satyanarayana (SC-Madiga), K Prem Sagar Rao (OC-Velama), Aadi Srinivas (BC-Munnuru Kapu), Vijayashanti (BC), Jatoth Ram Chander Naik (STLambada), and N Balu Naik (ST-Lambada) also aspiring for a Cabinet berth.