HYDERABAD: Tension in the Telangana Congress is rising as a cold war brews among ruling party MLAs over Cabinet berths. With the high command deferring its long-anticipated decision on Cabinet expansion — initially expected following the conclusion of the Lok Sabha elections — aspirants are believed to be exerting intense pressure behind closed doors.
Highly placed sources confirmed to TNIE that the All India Congress Committee (AICC) has greenlit a limited Cabinet expansion, comprising three berths, likely to take place between May 15 and 20.
According to sources with close ties to both the AICC and the TPCC leadership, the party high command has conveyed its decision to the chief minister, the AICC in-charge for Telangana, and the TPCC president.
A senior leader, currently serving as an AICC secretary, disclosed that the party intends to complete Cabinet expansions in both Karnataka and Telangana before the end of the month. The leader confided that Bodhan MLA P Sudarshan Reddy, Makthal MLA Vakiti Srihari, and MLC Amir Ali Khan are leading the race for the three vacancies. The remaining three berths may remain vacant until after the local body elections, which are tentatively scheduled for July or August
Full-fledged TPCC
Sources, meanwhile, revealed that the high command is also preparing to finalise the long-pending full-fledged TPCC, including naming working presidents, vice-presidents, general secretaries, a campaign committee chairman, and members of the AICC’s programme implementation committee — all posts that have remained unfilled for over six months.
The move to expand the Cabinet is reportedly based on an internal report submitted by AICC in-charge Meenakshi Natarajan. Her report, sources say, detailed growing factionalism in several districts — including Adilabad, Nalgonda, Rangareddy, and Hyderabad — fuelled by aspirations for Cabinet posts. The report is believed to have recommended appointments from the minority and BC communities and the Nizamabad region. In line with this, Amir Ali Khan, the lone minority legislator in the ruling party, is expected to find a place in the Cabinet.
However, the decision to leave three berths unfilled appears to be strategic. Sources suggest that an outright allocation of all posts at this juncture could provoke backlash from other contenders, potentially damaging the party’s prospects in the upcoming local polls.
One particularly contentious standoff is said to exist between Mancherial MLA N Premsagar Rao and Chennur MLA G Vivek Venkataswamy. A similar scenario is playing out in Rangareddy district, where multiple MLAs from the Reddy community are vying for representation. Assembly Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar — who had served as a minister in undivided Andhra Pradesh — is also reportedly seeking a Cabinet slot.
High-stakes tussle
Nalgonda district, too, is witnessing a high-stakes tussle, with Balu Naik and Munugode MLA Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy making strong bids for inclusion in the Cabinet.
Faced with these competing interests, the Congress high command is understood to have opted for a cautious approach — expanding the Cabinet partially while keeping further appointments on hold.
Meanwhile, another issue looms in the background — over 40 nominated posts across various boards and commissions have remained vacant for nearly a year. Aspirants for these posts are said to be lobbying the TPCC chief and Cabinet ministers for appointments. The high command, however, is prioritising Cabinet expansion first, with nominated appointments and the TPCC overhaul expected to follow by month’s end or the first week of June.