Cabinet expansion and rejig soon

Hyderabad: The expansion of the State Cabinet, along with a reshuffle of the portfolios, is on the cards. Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, ahead of completing two years in office on December 7, wants to reshuffle the portfolios of existing Ministers and induct two more persons as ministers in his Cabinet.

Speculations are rife that some of the ministers are likely to be replaced by others, with one of them likely to be vested with the responsibility of Congress state unit chief post. Creation of a Deputy Chief Minister post, picking the incumbent from the BC community, is under active consideration.

Sources said the Chief Minister is keen on filling two berths in his Cabinet before the announcement of the elections to local bodies. Soon after the declarations of the results of the byelection to the Jubilee Hills Assembly constituency, the state government will take a call on the local body elections.

Many aspirants for the Cabinet berths have begun lobbying with the Congress high command. Some of them, miffed at not being considered for induction in the Cabinet, have been staying away from participating in the government’s official programmes.

Munugode Congress MLA Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy has already raised a banner of revolt against the party leadership and the Chief Minister for not fulfilling the promise of his induction in the Cabinet in lieu of his support to CH Kiran Kumar Reddy to win the Bhongir MP seat in the Lok Sabha elections. Ibrahimpatnam MLA Malreddy Ranga Reddy has openly threatened to leave the party if he is ignored in the Cabinet expansion.

Khairatabad MLA Danam Nagendar was a frontrunner for a Cabinet post. However, the hearing on disqualification of turncoat BRS MLAs by the Speaker has reduced the chances his becoming a minister in Revanth Reddy’s Cabinet.

Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee president Mahesh Kumar Goud “has already convinced the party high command for a Cabinet berth”, according to sources. Goud has hinted that he would be inducted in the Cabinet replacing a Minister.