Can one be rewarded with a Cabinet berth if a particular leader works for and ensures party’s success in municipal elections? At least two parliamentarians of the saffron party, according to the grapevine, are hoping to land a berth in Prime Minister Modi’s Cabinet by helping the party seal victory in a municipal corporation. One of the MPs, in fact, managed to convince a key national leader to campaign in the segment where the parliamentarian intends to ensure party’s success. The other MP, however, did not succeed, as planned, to rope in a Union minister to campaign in the state. But the said MP is still hopeful of securing a corporation for the party and landing a MoS post.
Speculation over Ranjith’s future
The recent comments of Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy made during a public meeting in Parigi not only went viral on social media but also sparked speculations within the ruling Congress over the future of former MP Ranjith Reddy. A section of the party thinks that the chief minister may accommodate Ranjith Reddy in his Cabinet or appoint him as an adviser on municipal administration and urban development. Others are speculating that the former MP will be made an MLC next year and later allotted a ministerial berth under the ‘Rangareddy district quota’.
An officer’s escape mechanism
Flooded with a steady stream of requests and representations, a senior IAS officer is learnt to be spending considerable time in a colleague’s chamber to avoid unsolicited visitors. The said officer is generally seen occupying the room allotted to a fellow civil servant on the same floor of the Secretariat. Such is the volume of visitors seeking access that a police officer of inspector rank has been deployed to regulate movement around the chamber.
Inputs: Ireddy Srinivas Reddy, B Kartheek