He was the face of the Congress’s winning campaign. Reportedly he has the backing of 42 newly elected legislators.
Team Clarion
NEW DELHI — Riding high on the solid support from as many as 42 elected legislators out of the 64 in the party’s kitty, Telangana Congress chief Anumula Revanth Reddy overcame stiff resistance from several party stalwarts and got the party high command’s nod to be the next chief minister of the state.
Another factor which tilted the balance in Revanth Reddy’s favour was the fact that the Congress high command, already reeling from poll setbacks in the Hindi heartland, was not ready to risk a mass exodus in the only state it won in this round of state elections.
Revanth Reddy, credited with leading the party to the thumping victory, got the decision in his favour on Tuesday after lengthy confabulations in the national capital involving the party’s top brass.
“The decision has been taken,” Congress leader and former president, Rahul Gandhi, said categorically naming Revanth Reddy for the top post.
The decision was taken after a meeting attended by Gandhi, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, and national general secretary K.C. Venugopal among others. A Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting will be held in Hyderabad before the decision is finally announced.
Fifty-four-year Reddy, who was the face of the Congress’s winning campaign, has faced stiff resistance from within the party in his journey to the top post. Revanth Reddy’s swearing-in ceremony, which was to take place Monday evening, was called off after a section of state Congress veterans opposed his candidature.
The detractors include former state Congress chief N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, former CLP leader Bhatti Vikramarka, former minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, and former deputy chief minister Damodar Rajanarasimha. They reportedly opposed the outright candidature of Revanth Reddy, pointing to pending corruption cases and the Congress’s poor show in his Lok Sabha constituency.
Revanth Reddy also faced a challenge when he was given charge of the Telangana Congress in 2021. The former TDP leader was accused of paying crores to get the post.
At that point, the Congress was hardly a challenge to the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), which had been ruling the state since it was formed in 2014. Over the next two years, Reddy led a spirited campaign against the K. Chandrashekar Rao-led party. He was increasingly visible in street protests as the Congress gradually gained strength in the state.
Closer to the election, Reddy’s choice of candidates sparked a new wave of protests within the state Congress ranks. He was accused of “selling” tickets. The seasoned politician, however, was determined to have his way in the list of candidates, knowing well that he wouldn’t get a shot at the top post if he did not have the backing of MLAs.