HYDERABAD: Now that the AICC has appointed B Mahesh Kumar Goud as the TPCC president, the question that comes to centre stage is when would the Cabinet expansion take place.
The Cabinet expansion has been hanging fire for the last few months. The aspirants MLAs and MLCs have been facing the uncertainty of not knowing when it would happen and whether they would be able to make the cut.
Sources in the Congress said it may take time since the party is preoccupied with the Assembly elections in Haryana and Jammu & Kashmir. They indicated that any decision on Cabinet expansion would take place only after the elections are over.
But, a few senior leaders believe that appointment to key posts in the TPCC might take place since the party has appointed a new chief. The party may consider filling the posts of working presidents, campaign committee chairman and other slots in the PCC committees.
MLAs from erstwhile Adilabad, Rangareddy, Hyderabad and Nizamabad are lobbying hard for inclusion in the Cabinet. An MLC from Hyderabad too is expecting a Cabinet berth.
The aspirants include MLAs G Vivek Venkataswamy, P Sudharshan Reddy, K Rajagopal Reddy, Malreddy Ranga Reddy, Balu Naik, Ch Rammohan Reddy, Vakati Srihari and MLC Amer Ali Khan. On the other hand, leaders like MP Chamala Kiran Reddy, MLA Naini Rajender Reddy and former ZP chairperson Sarita Tirupataiah are eyeing the TPCC working president post vacated by Mahesh Kumar Goud.
This post may go to either an SC or ST or even a forward caste leader since the PCC chief has been handpicked from among the BCs. There is speculation that working president T Jayaprakash Reddy alias Jagga Reddy is likely to be accommodated as Pradesh Congress Campaign Committee chairman.