Revanth Reddy picked as next Telangana CM
Anumula Revanth Reddy, the firebrand local leader who steered the Congress to its first victory in Telangana, was named on Tuesday as the next chief minister of the southern state
Anumula Revanth Reddy, the firebrand local leader who steered the Congress to its first victory in Telangana, was named on Tuesday as the next chief minister of the southern state. He is set to take oath on December 7.
Reddy, 54, heads the Telangana unit of the party and was instrumental in the Congress trouncing the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) in the recently concluded assembly elections, the first time in two decades that it had bested a regional force. The Congress’s impressive victory in Telangana was the only bright spot for the party that slumped to losses in three key heartland states on Sunday.
The announcement was made by Congress general secretary KC Venugopal in Delhi after a series of parleys held by the central leadership to resolve competing claims for the top post.
“After considering the report by the observers and holding discussions, the party president Mallikarjun Kharge has decided to go with Revanth Reddy as the Congress Legislative Party (CLP) leader,” Venugopal told reporters.
He was flanked by two other contenders for the CM’s post —seven-time lawmaker and former state unit chief N Uttam Kumar Reddy and the party’s floor leader in the outgoing assembly, Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka.
“We will recognise all senior leaders. This is going to be a team, this is not going to be a one-man show. The Congress will go with the team,” he told reporters while replying to queries on the issue.
The announcement ended the suspense surrounding the choice of the new CLP leader — with the Congress wining a simple majority, the party’s leader in the assembly will be the CM — after Uttam Kumar Reddy and Vikramarka both threw their hats into the ring.
Reddy, who had switched over to the Congress from the Chandrababu Naidu-led Telugu Desam Party in 2017 and was appointed state unit chief in 2021, would be sworn-in on December 7 in Hyderabad.
But there was no word on whether the party will name a deputy chief minister or about the composition of the new cabinet.
“All the details will be informed to you in due course,” Venugopal said.
“I wholeheartedly express my gratitude to honourable AICC president Shri Kharge ji, mother of Telangana our beloved Soniamma, ever-inspiring leader Rahul Gandhi ji, charismatic Priyanka Gandhi ji, AICC general secretary (org) K C Venugopalji, deputy CM of Karnataka DK Shivakumar ji and incharge general secretary- Telangana Manikrao Thakare, and last but not the least, our Congress soldiers who stood by us through thick and thin,” Reddy posted on X.
Venugopal said Reddy was a dynamic leader who campaigned in this election extensively. “We have already given a promise to the people of Telangana with our guarantees. We are very sure that the first and foremost priority of this new government is to fulfil the aspirations of the people of Telangana, especially the guarantees given to the people,” he said.
Reddy started his career with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, and later moved to the TDP and won the Kodangal constituency in Mahabubnagar district in the 2009 and 2014 assembly polls. He joined the Congress in October 2017 and lost to the BRS in the 2018 elections. However, he bounced back in just a few months, winning the Malkajgiri Lok Sabha seat in the general elections.
Reddy was the face of the energetic Congress campaign which managed to successfully leverage anti-incumbency and defeat the BRS, winning 65 seats in the 119-member assembly. It was a stunning turnaround for a party that had won just 18 seats in the 2018 elections.
The Congress held a meeting of its newly-elected lawmakers in Hyderabad on Monday and passed a one-line resolution — a Congress tradition — authorising party chief Mallikarjun Kharge to appoint the CLP leader.
Dramatic developments followed, with several aspirants lobbying for the coveted post, citing their seniority and loyalty to the party. A section of senior leaders were opposed to Reddy’s leadership, calling him an outsider.
Tuesday began with a meeting at Kharge’s residence, attended by Karnataka deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar, party secretary incharge of Telangana Manikrao Thakre and senior leader Rahul Gandhi.
According to a senior Congress leader familiar with the developments, Rahul Gandhi pitched for Reddy’s candidature. Thereafter, another meeting was held at Venugopal’s residence where Uttam Kumar Reddy and Vikramarka were present, along with Shivakumar and Thakre.
“Both the contenders were asked to cooperate with Revanth Reddy and work unitedly for successful implementation of the promises made by the party to the people of Telangana,” the leader cited above added, requesting anonymity.
Competing claims by senior leaders delayed the process after Monday’s CLP meeting.
Reddy was considered the front runner for the top post but other leaders such as Uttam Kumar and Vikramarka had joined the race.
“Yes, I have staked my claim and explained my case to Shivakumar. I am a seven-time MLA and have been loyal to the party for 30 years,” Uttam Kumar had said, even as a majority of the newly-elected legislators told the party observers that they would prefer Reddy.
But Uttam Kumar had not budged. “We were expecting 70 to 75 seats but got only 65. The performance is rather disappointing, though there was widespread anti-incumbency against the BRS government,” he had told reporters.
Vikramarka, the Dalit face of the party, was also a contender. A Congress member since the early 1980s, he had recently undertaken an extensive march across the state and told the media on Sunday that he was ready to take up the responsibility “if the high command directs”.
“It is possible that the central leadership will eventually opt for one or two deputy CM posts to placate the aspirants,” a second senior party leader said, requesting anonymity.
The leadership tussle brought back bitter memories of the early 1980s when the party had changed four CMs in the erstwhile united Andhra Pradesh. This became one of the key campaign themes of Telugu Desam founder N T Rama Rao who stormed to power within nine months after floating the regional party.