Telangana Congress Cabinet Expansion: CM and Ministers to Travel to Delhi on Saturday

Senior Congress leaders, including Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, Deputy CM Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) President Mahesh Goud, and all cabinet ministers, will be heading to New Delhi on Saturday. Their trip is aimed at finalizing the appointment of a new leader to the TPCC body, as well as deciding on the expansion of the state cabinet.  

The Telangana cabinet, which has a total of 18 seats, including the CM, has not been expanded since the Congress assumed power in December 2023. Out of the 10 appointed positions, none have been filled for the remaining posts, excluding the CM and deputy CM. There are also expectations that the cabinet will accommodate some of the 10 Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLAs who defected to the Congress since the 2023 elections.  

However, infighting among Congress leaders over cabinet positions, along with issues surrounding the appointment of new leaders to the TPCC body, has delayed the filling of these key roles. Currently, there is no minority representation in the cabinet, and former MLA Shabbir Ali, who lost the 2023 election, is expected to be appointed as the minority minister. However, Congress leader Faheem Qureshi, reportedly close to the CM, is also vying for this post.  

A TPCC leader, speaking anonymously, stated, “Things are moving slowly in Congress, and many decisions are pending from the high command. Under the previous government, everything was decided by KCR in the BRS. Besides the cabinet, the entire TPCC body will see new appointments."  

Last year, after Congress came to power, Mahesh Goud was appointed as the new party chief in Telangana. His appointment is seen as an attempt to address demands from Backward Classes (BC) leaders, who have been seeking greater representation in the Congress. BCs are estimated to make up around 60% of the population in Telangana, with the rest divided between SCs, STs, and Muslims.  

“There’s a lot of infighting, and we know progress has been slow in Congress. The situation will stabilize once the cabinet expansion is completed, and the TPCC posts are filled. The focus will then shift to strengthening the organization,” the TPCC leader added.  

In the current Telangana cabinet, four of the 12 positions, including the CM and deputy CM, are held by members of the Reddy community. Minister Anasuya Seethakka, who belongs to the tribal community, currently holds the Tribal Welfare post, although this position remains with the CM. The appointment of the minority minister is still pending, and it remains to be seen who will fill this important role.  

Under the previous BRS governments (2014-2023), K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) was frequently criticized for having only one Muslim representative in his cabinet, Mahmood Ali, who also held the home department. Muslim leaders who hoped for better representation under the Congress government have expressed disappointment so far with Revanth Reddy’s leadership.  

“The minority cell remains headless, and the community lacks representation or influence in the party. Hopefully, this will change soon,” said a senior minority leader from Congress.