HYDERABAD: With the Telangana Legislative Assembly session set to commence on Monday, speculation is rife among MLAs about whether elections will be held for the posts of Deputy Speaker and Government Chief Whip.
The Chief Whip position has remained vacant since the Congress assumed power in December 2023 and so also the Deputy Speaker’s post, though the party high command had announced the name of Dornakal MLA Jatoth Ram Chander Naik for the position. Although the Congress had earlier indicated Ram Chander Naik as a likely candidate for Deputy Speaker, no formal election notification has been issued.
MLAs are hopeful that Chief Whip’s post may be filled during the upcoming session. They say that if a sitting whip is elevated, additional whip positions could also open up. Legislators emphasise the critical role of whips in ensuring smooth conduct of Assembly proceedings, including preparing documents, managing proceedings, and arranging discussions. In the absence of a full complement of whips and a Chief Whip, they say, there has been inadequate coordination and guidance for ruling party MLAs in participating effectively in debates and countering Opposition attacks.
According to sources, appointments to Chief Whip and that of a whip are likely tied to the ongoing deliberations on Cabinet expansion. Candidates who miss out on ministerial berths may be accommodated in these positions.
Several senior MLAs, including some with three terms of experience, have expressed interest in Cabinet posts but are also open to the Chief Whip role. Meanwhile, younger first-time MLAs are actively lobbying — often through party mentors — for whip positions, seeing them as opportunities to contribute in the House.
Ministers have indicated there is still no firm timeline for Cabinet expansion or these legislative appointments, but they stress the urgent need for whips to support House functioning. They added that they are pressing the party high command and Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy to finalise the Chief Whip and whip appointments, and issue any necessary notifications during the session for filling Deputy Speaker’s post.