In a significant development on Monday, the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) passed a concise resolution authorizing Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge to select the next Chief Minister of Telangana. This decision comes just a day after the Congress ousted the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) from power in the southern state.
The CLP meeting, held at a Hyderabad hotel and supervised by Congress observer and Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, lasted over three hours. During the meeting, Telangana Congress chief A Revanth Reddy, who played a pivotal role in the party’s victory with an assertive campaign, emerged as the frontrunner for the state’s top elected post.
“We will get to know the high command’s decision in a couple of hours,” stated an anonymous Congress leader after the meeting.
Revanth Reddy proposed the resolution in accordance with the party’s tradition, and Bhatti Vikramarka, the CLP leader in the outgoing assembly, seconded it. The sources indicated that Reddy, enjoying the support of the majority of the newly elected lawmakers, has the backing of the party’s central leadership for the top post. Once the new CLP leader is named, a Congress delegation is expected to submit a letter to Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan.
A separate delegation, including Congress leaders like N Uttam Kumar Reddy, Vikramarka, and Komatireddy Rajgopal Reddy, met with Soundararajan on Sunday night. They explained the procedural aspects the Congress would follow and committed to returning once the CLP leader was elected.
The Governor’s office announced it would inform the media on Monday if there is any request from Congress for an oath-taking ceremony. Vikramarka, Congress’s Dalit face, was anticipated to take the oath as deputy chief minister.
Before the CLP meeting, Shivakumar held individual discussions with potential candidates, including Uttam Kumar Reddy, Vikramarka, and Komatireddy Rajgopal Reddy, at another hotel.
Revanth Reddy, credited with leading a robust local campaign focused on alleged corruption, successfully ended BRS’s 10-year rule by securing 64 of the 119 seats, while the BRS managed to secure 39 seats.
