As the Congress government in Telangana, led by Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, is crossing the halfway mark of its tenure, hectic activity has begun once again over a possible cabinet reshuffle in a week or two.
With the completion of elections in five states, discussions on cabinet expansion, reshuffle and party organisational appointments have gathered momentum within the Congress.
According to sources, several aspirants have rushed to New Delhi to lobby for ministerial berths.
The present cabinet has three vacant positions, while there is also speculation that some ministers could be replaced based on performance assessments submitted to the party high command.
Senior MLAs, along with leaders seeking representation based on social and regional equations, have intensified efforts to secure cabinet positions.
Parigi MLA Rammohan Reddy reportedly met Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in Delhi a couple of days ago.
Following this, Ibrahimpatnam MLA Malreddy Ranga Reddy also travelled to the national capital to pursue his claim for a cabinet berth from the erstwhile Rangareddy district.
Apart from these leaders, several other aspirants have been lobbying with senior Congress leaders in Delhi over the past few weeks.
Sources said the Congress high command has already received reports evaluating the performance of the current ministers.
Discussions are also underway on the proposal to appoint a Deputy Chief Minister from the Backward Classes community.
Speculation is rife that two ministers, including a woman minister, may lose their positions during the reshuffle.
At the same time, there are reports that Telangana Jana Samithi chief M Kodandaram and senior Congress leader Vijayashanti could be accommodated in the cabinet.
There is also a possibility of Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee chief Mahesh Goud being inducted into the cabinet, while senior leader Ponnam Prabhakar could reportedly be entrusted with PCC responsibilities.
However, party insiders maintain that the final decisions on the cabinet reshuffle and party appointments will largely depend on Revanth Reddy’s political strategy and administrative priorities.
The Chief Minister is reportedly aiming to complete the cabinet reshuffle and organisational restructuring process by the end of this month and accelerate governance with the launch of new welfare schemes and implementation of key promises from June 2 onwards.
