Revanth Reddy is new Telangana CM; to take oath on December 7

The selection of the new CLP leader had turned out to be a task for the AICC as several meetings were convened, including one at Kharge's residence in New Delhi on Tuesday morning

Hyderabad: After nearly 48 hours of uncertainty and multiple meetings in Hyderabad and New Delhi, the All India Congress Committee (AICC) on Tuesday evening declared Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee president A Revanth Reddy as the new Congress Legislative Party leader in the Telangana Assembly. He will be sworn in as the Chief Minister on Thursday.

The end to the long hours of speculation, rumours and debates over who would be selected as the Congress Legislative Party (CLP) leader came with AICC general secretary KC Venugopal announcing at a press conference in New Delhi that AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge had decided to go with Revanth Reddy as the “new CLP of Telangana Legislative Party”.

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Congress President Shri @kharge has decided to go with Revanth Reddy as the new CLP of the Telangana Legislative Party.

The Congress will deliver a clean and able government that will provide maximum governance.

: Shri @kcvenugopalmp, General Secretary (Organisation) pic.twitter.com/njFUduUFsb

— Congress (@INCIndia) December 5, 2023

Calling Revanth Reddy a dynamic leader who campaigned in these elections extensively with other senior leaders like N Uttam Kumar Reddy and Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, Venugopal said the AICC was very sure that the first and foremost priority of the new government was to ‘fulfill the aspirations of the people of Telangana, especially the guarantees we have given to the people’.

“This is going to be a clean and very energetic and able government which is going to provide maximum governance to people of Telangana,” said Venugopal, who evaded queries on the Deputy Chief Minister and Ministers. Instead, he said the party would “recognize” all senior leaders.

“It’s going to be a team, not a one-man show. The Congress will go with the team,” he said.

Expressing his gratitude to the AICC leadership, especially Congress Parliamentary Party chief Sonia Gandhi, Revanth Reddy later shared a post on ‘X’, thanking them and the Congress party workers who stood by him for their support.

Prior to Venugopal’s announcement, high drama prevailed in Delhi and Hyderabad as consensus eluded the party with quite a few leaders making their CM ambitions public. Following this uncertainty, the AICC summoned AICC observers, DK Shiva Kumar, Manikrao Thakare, besides Uttam Kumar Reddy and Bhatti Vikramarka to Delhi early on Tuesday. Though there were several meetings, including one reportedly at Uttam Kumar Reddy’s official residence in Delhi, it was the meeting at Kharge’s residence that finally ended in the decision. After the 30-minute meeting, in which Rahul Gandhi and Venugopal also participated, the name of Revanth Reddy was finalized as the new Chief Minister and the same was informed to Shiva Kumar and Thakare. Revanth Reddy was then summoned to New Delhi.

According to sources, before flying back to Hyderabad in the evening with the sealed cover from the AICC, Shiva Kumar again met Uttam Kumar Reddy and Thakare apart from Bhatti Vikramarka to discuss a few issues, including portfolios in the new cabinet.

A CLP meeting was scheduled late on Tuesday at a hotel in Hyderabad for a formal election of the new Chief Minister by the CLP members.