Telangana CM Revanth Reddy in Delhi to discuss Cabinet expansion

Hyderabad, Dec 8 (IANS) Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy left for Delhi on Friday to discuss with the Congress leadership about allocation of portfolios to ministers and Cabinet expansion.

Day after taking oath as the Chief Minister and attending a couple of programmes, he left for the national capital by a special aircraft from Begumpet Airport.

He will hold talks with AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi and other senior leaders on the portfolios to be distributed among 11 ministers who took oath with him on Thursday.

Revanth Reddy will also consult the central leadership for expansion of the Cabinet.

The names of six ministers are likely to be finalised in a day or two.

The state can have a maximum of 18 ministers, including the Chief Minister. There are demands from various quarters for the ministerial berths. The Congress leadership is keen to give representation to those sections who were left out.

Since no Muslim candidate of the Congress party was elected in November 30 Assembly elections, the leadership is understood to be mulling a proposal to induct one or two Muslims and later nominate them to the Legislative Council.

The names of senior leader and former minister Mohammed Ali Shabbir and Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) working president and former Indian cricket captain Mohammed Azharuddin are under consideration.

Shabbir, who had served as minister in the Cabinet of Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy in united Andhra Pradesh, lost the election from Nizamabad Urban while Azharuddin suffered defeat in Jubilee Hills constituency.

There are also demands to accommodate senior leaders like former minister Jeevan Reddy, Madhu Yaskhi Goud and Jagga Reddy, who also could not get elected to Assembly.

Congress stormed to power in the state, bagging 64 seats in the 119-member Assembly.

All the ministers who were sworn in on Thursday are newly-elected MLAs. A few MLAs are also strong contenders for the Cabinet posts.

The party is likely to give priority to communities and regions, which could not be given representation while constituting the Cabinet.

The central leadership will also decide on the portfolios to be allotted to the ministers.