Telangana Cabinet expansion may see new faces; non-performing Ministers under scanner

The new Ministers will be sworn-in in April. Uttam keen on relinquishing the irrigation portfolio, Sridhar interested in education while Ponguleti may have to pass on two of the three departments he holds.

Hyderabad: After a year-long dilly-dallying, the Congress high command has finally approved expansion of the Telangana Cabinet.
In the initial phase, four new Ministers will be inducted, with two additional positions to be filled later.

The posts of Deputy Speaker and Chief Whip are also set to be assigned. The new Ministers are likely to be inducted in the first week of April, according to party sources.
The Cabinet reshuffle accompanying the expansion has sparked discussions, with concerns raised about the performance of certain senior Ministers. Some Ministers may lose portfolios linked to departments with poor results, particularly those affecting State finances.

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The focus is on assigning key responsibilities to dedicated Ministers to improve governance. Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy is reportedly willing to relinquish the Home portfolio but is keen on retaining the Municipal Administration and Urban Development portfolio.

Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy is reportedly seeking to shed the Irrigation portfolio, while D Sridhar Babu is said to be interested in Education. Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka is said to be against any changes to his current responsibilities.

Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy may have to pass on two of the three departments- Revenue, Housing and Information and Public Relations, the sources hinted.
On Monday evening, Revanth Reddy, Bhatti Vikramarka, Uttam Kumar Reddy and TPCC President Mahesh Kumar Goud had met AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi and AICC general secretary KC Venugopal in Delhi. Congress State affairs in-charge Meenakshi Natarajan also participated in the meeting.

The discussions revolved around Telangana’s political situation and Cabinet composition.
The Cabinet expansion is aimed to ensure social representation and address electoral commitments. Names under consideration for ministerial positions include Makthal MLA Srihari Mudiraj, Munugode MLA Komatireddy Rajgopal Reddy, Chennur MLA G. Vivek and Bodhan MLA P. Sudarshan Reddy.

The Congress high command is reportedly keen on representing Scheduled Tribes (ST) and minority communities, with plans to fulfill promises made to leaders who joined Congress before the Assembly elections.
For now, the four new positions will include one representative from the SC community, two from the BCs, and one from the Reddy community, sources indicated. Minority and ST representation may be addressed in the next phase of expansion only.

Rahul Gandhi also reviewed the progress of integrated residential schools in Telangana, focusing on their impact on SC, ST, OBC, and minority students. He examined the number of beneficiaries and the scale of admissions.

The discussions also touched on forming the PCC executive committee and appointing various corporation positions.