Telangana: Uttam Kumar, Bhatti Vikramarka hold hopes high till last minute

Revanth Reddy will now be the second person to assume office as Chief Minister of the young State, after K Chandrashekhar Rao's two terms from 2014 to 2023

Hyderabad: It was a triangular contest for the Chief Minister post between N Uttam Kumar Reddy, Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and A Revanth Reddy, with the TPCC president finally emerging the AICC’s choice as Telangana’s new Chief Minister. Revanth Reddy will now be the second person to assume office as Chief Minister of the young State, after K Chandrashekhar Rao‘s two terms from 2014 to 2023.

Though they assured to stand by the party high command’s decision on the new Chief Minister, both Uttam Kumar and Bhatti Vikramarka earlier made all efforts to press for their candidature. This was after the two were summoned by the AICC to New Delhi on Tuesday.

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Speaking to news channels in the national capital, Uttam Kumar Reddy said he was in race for the Chief Minister’s post and was qualified for the job. “I am a seven-time MLA and loyal worker to the Congress, besides having a good track record. I hope that they will examine my name also (for the CM post),” he said.

Bhatti Vikramarka too held a meeting with AICC Telangana incharge Manikrao Thakare in the national capital on Tuesday. “Yes, we will stand by the high command’s decision, but a decision is yet to be taken on the matter,” he told the media.

Earlier in the day, as the announcement dragged on, supporters of Revanth Reddy gathered in large numbers at a hotel in Gachibowli here and raised slogans in support of the TPCC president. A meeting of all the new MLAs was scheduled at the hotel.

However, after the formal announcement by the AICC, celebrations erupted at the TPCC president’s residence in Jubilee Hills and his native village of Kondareddipally in Nagarkurnool.