Ending the suspense, the Congress on Tuesday named A. Revanth Reddy as the chief minister of Telangana.
The announcement was made by AICC general secretary K. C. Venugopal in the national capital on Tuesday evening.
Revanth Reddy will take oath as the chief minister on December 7, he said.
He took to ‘X’ to express his gratitude to All India Congress Committee (AICC) President Mallikarjun Kharge, party leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and others.
He will be the second chief minister of Telangana and succeeds K. Chandrasekhar Rao, whose party BRS lost power to Congress in the elections held on November 30, after ruling the state for two terms.
Soon after the announcement by the party in Delhi, Revanth Reddy left for his residence from a hotel where he was staying along with all MLAs since December 3.
He will be leaving for the national capital on Tuesday night. Senior leaders Uttam Kumar Reddy and Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, who were in the race for the chief minister’s post, are still camping in Delhi along with AICC general secretary in-charge for Telangana, Manikrao Thakare and Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar.
The central leaders are likely to consult Revanth Reddy on the composition of the state Cabinet.
Venugopal told reporters at AICC headquarters that the Congress President decided to go with Revanth Reddy, as the leader of Telangana Congress Legislature Party. Venugopal said that Revanth Reddy is a dynamic leader who campaigned extensively in the state with other senior leaders like Uttam Kumar Reddy and Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka.
“AICC is very sure that the first and foremost priority of the new government is to fulfil the aspirations of the people of Telangana, especially the guarantees we have given to the people,” he said.
“This is going to be a clean and very energetic and able government which is going to provide maximum governance to people of Telangana,” he added.
Venugopal evaded replies to queries about deputy chief minister and ministers saying the party will recognise all the senior leaders.
“It’s going to be a team, not a one-man show. The Congress will go with the team,” he said.
The announcement came a day after newly-elected MLAs of Congress authorised AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge to appoint the leader of CLP.
Kharge took the decision after consultation with party MP Rahul Gandhi and Venugopal and taking into consideration the report submitted by AICC observer D.K. Shivakumar, who was present at the meeting of MLAs in Hyderabad on Monday.
Revanth Reddy is currently the president of Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC).
He led the party’s election campaign.
In the elections held on November 30, the Congress party wrested power from Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), bagging 64 seats in 119-member Assembly.
Soon after the results were announced on December 3, all newly-elected MLAs were shifted to Ellaa Hotel in Gachibowli.
Though the meeting on Monday morning authorised the AICC president to name the leader, a decision was delayed apparently due to lack of consensus.
Shivakumar and other AICC observers had taken the opinion of individual MLAs after the meeting.
Though arrangements for the swearing-in of the chief minister was made at Raj Bhavan on Monday evening, the plans had to be put on hold as there was no announcement from the party.
Shivakumar had left for Delhi on Monday night.
Uttam Kumar Reddy and Vikramarka were also summoned to Delhi on Tuesday.
They met Shivakumar, Venugopal and other central leaders and reportedly assured them that they will go by the decision of the party leadership.
As the majority of newly-elected MLAs were said to be in favour of Revanth Reddy, as the chief minister and Rahul Gandhi too supported him for the top post, the party president decided to go with him.
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