Cabinet berth aspirants make a beeline to New Delhi, ignore State leadership

There are six vacancies in the cabinet. Apart from cabinet expansion, there is buzz in Gandhi Bhavan that there could be reshuffle of portfolios as well

HYDERABAD: As the Congress high is making it explicit that it has the final say in the Telangana poliitical affairs, aspirants of cabinet berths and other posts are making a beeline to New Delhi.

By nominating the actor-turned-politician Vijayashanthi as a member of the Legislative Council, the high command has sent a clear and unmissable signal that it calls the shots and definitely not the State leadership.

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The candidature of Vijayashanti was never in the reckoning and the state leaders floated several names for nomination to the council, but the high command took the winds out of sails of many leaders by announcing the Vijayashanti as a candidate for the MLC polls.

Now, with the Cabinet expansion being imminent after Ugadi festival, a few aspirants have landed in New Delhi and are meeting the AICC leaders, as they seem to have realised that State leadership’s opinions were definitely sought but ultimately it is the high command, which takes the final decision.

Accordingly, the leaders are now sidelining the State leadership and intensifying their lobbying in New Delhi.

Already, Narsampeta MLA Donthi Madhava Reddy met AICC chief Mallikarjun Kharge and AICC Telangana incharge Meenakshi Natarajan in the national capital. Pictures of the MLA meeting the AICC leaders are already going viral on different social media platforms.

Donthi Madhava Reddy has been aspiring for Cabinet berth since long. Despite being active in erstwhile Warangal Congress unit affairs, he had skipped Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s programmes in the district in the past, reflecting the state of affairs.

His supporters are backing his candidature for cabinet berth irrespective of the fact that PRRD Minister D Anasuya and Forest Minister Konda Surekha are also from Warangal.

There are two Ministers from Nalgonda. A senior leader is already claiming that cabinet berth has been confirmed to him, besides he declared the portfolio as well. If there can be three Ministers from Nalgonda, why cannot there be three from Warangal, Donthi Madhava Reddy’s supporters argue.

Not just Narsampeta MLA, a few others, including Ibrahimpatnam MLA Malreddy Rangareddy, Devarkonda MLA Balu Naik, MLC Shankar Naik and few others flew to New Delhi, reports said.

There are six vacancies in the cabinet. Apart from cabinet expansion, there is buzz in Gandhi Bhavan that there could be reshuffle of portfolios as well. Sensing opportunities, aspirants are leaving no stone unturned to impress the high command and are lobbying hard.

Amidst the lobbying, the leaders have made a few things evident that henceforth they would bypass the State leadership and maintain a direct relation with high command to get their issues resolved.