Anumula Revanth Reddy has been chosen as the new Telangana Chief Minister. Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said that Reddy has been chosen for the top post after a meeting in Delhi.
"The decision has been taken," Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has said, categorically saying it is Revanth Reddy who has been chosen for the top post, news reports said.
Reddy, who joined Congress in 2019, has been credited for the Congress' outstanding performance in the November 30 Assembly polls.
On Tuesday, a meeting was organised in Delhi, which was attended by Gandhi, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and national general secretary KC Venugopal, among others. The decision is expected to made public at a Congress Legislature Party meeting in Hyderbad later today.
Earlier in the day, India Today reported that Reddy's swearing-in ceremony will take place on December 6. But some reports claimed that the ceremony has been delayed due to a lack of consensus on the election of the deputy CM. Senior Congress leaders Uttam Kumar Reddy and Bhatti Vikramarka are being considered for the second highest job in the state cabinet.
Reddy, Vikramarka, former minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, former deputy chief minister Damodar Rajanarasimha were reportedly against the party's decision to choose Revanth Reddy as the new CM. These leaders reportedly opposed the outright candidature of Revanth Reddy, pointing to pending corruption cases.
Earlier on Tuesday, Uttam Reddy reached the residence of Karnataka Congress chief D K Shivakumar to meet him amid buzz that Revanth Reddy might be the new Chief Minister of Telangana.
When asked him about Revanth being the Chief Minister's choice or has the BRS approached Congress MLAs, Uttam Reddy didn't answer.
For the first time since the formation of Telangana, Congress crossed the majority mark of 60 seats in the 119-member state Assembly and won 64 seats. The ruling BRS, under the leadership of K Chandrasekhar Rao, won 39 seats.
Revanth Reddy rose to prominence after he played a significant role for Congress in the recently held state elections. Revanth Reddy, who contested from Kodangal and Kamareddy Assembly constituencies, was the face of the Congress in Telangana and took the ruling BRS head-on with his strategies.
He became the Telangana Congress chief in July 2021 and since then has been very vocal about his opposition to BRS government. He was seen taking part in street protests on several issues.
Recently, he attacked KCR's son KTR saying, "I am on merit quota. He is on management quota/NRI quota. Everyone knows KTR as KCR's son. We have nothing to do with KTR. Our political fight is with KCR."
Revanth Reddy, who is married to veteran Congress leader Jaipal Reddy’s niece, Geetha, started as a member of the right-wing ABVP (Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad) while he was a student. The couple has a daughter Nymisha, who is married to Satyanarayana, the son of G. Venkat Reddy, owner of Reddy and Reddy Motors.
(With inputs from Nagarjun Dwarkanath)