Hyderabad: Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekhar Rao is busy with the processing profiles of potential MLA candidates for expanding his Cabinet. According to TRS senior leaders, the Cabinet expansion will be in two phases. The first phase is expected to be on January 30 or February 7, while the second phase will be after Lok Sabha elections in May. KCR is said to have finalised the Cabinet expansion as he may induct seven MLAs in the first phase and nine in the second phase. Speculation is rife over whether TRS working president KT Rama Rao and former irrigation minister T Harish Rao will be in the Cabinet. If so will they retain their previous portfolios?
Party sources say that KCR prefers Harish Rao at the Centre and may field his nephew in Lok Sabha elections. So that, KCR can avail of Harish Rao’s services in making his dream mission Federal Front a reality.
With 119 Assembly constituencies, Telangana government will have 18 ministers in the Cabinet including the chief minister. Barring KCR and home minister Mahamood Ali, Telangana Cabinet can have 16 berths.
Telangana’s first Cabinet had 18 ministers and four of them — Jupally Krishna Rao, Patnam Mahender Reddy, Tummala Nageshwar Rao and Azmeera Chandulal– lost in the recent Assembly elections held in December 2018. Another former minister Pocharam Srinivas Reddy has been made Speaker of the Assembly.Barring KCR, Pocharam and Mahabood Ali, 11 ministerial berths left.
“It’s also doubtful that whether KCR retains remaining former ministers or prefers few new faces in the Cabinet. Barring five candidates, KCR fielded all the sitting MLAs by announcing 105 candidates in September 2018. Now, we can expect unexpected twists in Cabinet expansion and list of Lok Sabha candidates,” observes a senior TRS leader.
