After a successful 12-day business tour of the U.S. and South Korea, Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy has returned to Telangana to face numerous challenges.
Despite the Telangana delegation attracting impressive investments and assurances from top Information Technology, manufacturing, and service sector companies in the two countries, it has not returned to applause. This is because the Opposition party, the Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS), has launched a negative campaign against the government on social media, which the Chief Minister’s PR team has failed to counter effectively. Senior Ministers did not respond to the BRS’s criticism, particularly the political attack on the Chief Minister’s brother, Jagadeeshwar Reddy, whose company signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the State government for investments. The BRS also claims that K.T. Rama Rao, who was the IT and Industries Minister during the previous regime, secured investments and got assurances from global tech leaders more successfully than the present Congress government. Citing facts and figures, the Congress government has denied this.
Apart from the external challenges, the Chief Minister also faces internal ones. Several leaders are eagerly waiting to be chosen for the Cabinet, which the government is expanding. A few members from the dominant Backward Classes are putting pressure on the government to give them posts. There are six vacancies; the present Cabinet consists of 12 Ministers, including Mr. Revanth Reddy.
Accommodating all these requests is impossible. For instance, Munugode MLA Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy from Nalgonda, who quit the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and rejoined the Congress in 2023, claims that he returned only because he was promised a ministerial position if the Congress was voted to power.
When Mr. Rajagopal Reddy and Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy, who is now Revenue Minister, both changed their loyalties before the election, the people of Telangana became convinced that the Congress was coming to power. This galvanised the party cadre and also stopped leaders from migrating to the BJP, which was confident of defeating the BRS.
Mr. Rajagopal Reddy’s inclusion in the Cabinet will be tough as his elder brother, Komatireddy Venkata Reddy, already holds a key portfolio. Known for his frequent outbursts, Mr. Rajagopal Reddy could prove to be a thorn in the party’s smooth functioning.
Another Minister, N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, is also from Nalgonda district and belongs to the Reddy community. This will further complicate the regional and caste balance if Mr. Rajagopal Reddy is taken in.
Mr. Revanth Reddy will also have to choose between two MLAs who are brothers — Gaddam Vivek (Chennur) and Gaddam Vinod (Bellampally) — from the Mala community of the Scheduled Castes (SCs). The Madigas, who are numerically stronger SCs, are seeking a bigger share in the pie. Moreover, Mr. Vivek’s son, Vamsi Krishna, is already an MP from Peddapally.
Caste equations and familial politics aside, the Chief Minister will also have to be mindful of ensuring a regional balance. Greater Hyderabad city consists of three districts and 24 MLAs; it does not have any representation in the Cabinet. There is no Congress MLA within the city limits. Mr. Revanth Reddy may prefer to choose one of the MLAs who defected to the Congress from the BRS in recent times, but the party high command may not be comfortable with this.
Some Congress leaders also believe that defections to the party are not taking place on the expected scale. So far, only 12 MLAs from the BRS have moved to the Congress. Luring another 15 MLAs will be an uphill task for the party. The BRS has been saying that its leaders will fight instead of meekly accepting defeat. Meanwhile, former president of the Congress, Rahul Gandhi, has taken a firm stand against defections.
Mr. Revanth Reddy is a seasoned politician. With the party high command backing him and no senior leaders looking to challenge him as of now, he may gain total control over the party. But from a governance point of view, countering the BRS and the BJP while also keeping all his party members happy will be a test of his leadership. The government is already under pressure to fulfil its six election promises. The much-touted ₹2 lakh farm loan waiver has not brought much cheer as the Opposition has been relentlessly highlighting the lacunae in the scheme. This is a testing time for the Chief Minister.
