Dalit deputy CM, ex-Naxalite: Meet Telangana's newly-appointed 11 ministers
Congress leader Anumula Revanth Reddy (54) was sworn in as the chief minister of Telangana on Thursday. The oath-taking ceremony was held at Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium in Hyderabad and saw Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan administer the oath of office to Reddy and 11 other newly-elected MLAs. Nearly one lakh people showed up for the event. Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka became the state's first Dalit deputy chief minister while Danasari Anusuya, a tribal and former Naxalite, was elevated as a minister.
Why does this story matter?
The Congress unseated the incumbent Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) in Telangana in the state assembly elections by winning 64 out of 119 seats, ending the latter's rule since the state was formed in 2014. The Congress relegated the BRS to 39 seats and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to eight seats. The Telangana Cabinet can reportedly have 18 ministers, including the CM and his deputy, which leaves six vacancies in the council of ministers.
Congress tries to level community-wise representation
The new Cabinet boasts a diverse mix of representatives, including women ministers Konda Surekha and Anasuya, also known as Seethakka. Alongside CM Reddy, three other Reddys are in the cabinet—Uttam Kumar Reddy, Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, and Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy. Ponnam Prabhakar and Konda Surekha represent the Other Backward Classes (OBC) and Damodar Raja Narasimha represents the Scheduled Castes. Sridhar Babu represents the Brahmin community, Nageshwara Rao the Kamma community, and Juppally Krishna Rao the Velama community.
Vikramarka credited with reviving Congress in Telangana
Vikramarka, elected for the fourth time from Madhira constituency in Khammam district, has been given the revenue portfolio. He marched 1,400 km across 36 constituencies and is credited with reviving Congress in the state. N Uttam Kumar Reddy, a former Indian Air Force pilot and six-time MLA, has been appointed as the home minister. He served as the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee chief for six years from 2015 to 2021.
Former ministers back in the council
Thummala Nageswara Rao, a former Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader, got the roads and buildings portfolio. He served as minister for roads and buildings in the preceding K Chandrashekar Rao's Cabinet before joining the Congress. Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, a five-time MLA from Nalgonda and MP from Bhuvanagiri Lok Sabha constituency, has the municipal administration and urban development portfolio. He was the IT minister under the government led by YS Rajshekhar Reddy, father of Andhra Pradesh CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy.
Other notable ministers in the Telangana cabinet
Seethakka has been given the tribal welfare ministry. She joined the Janashakti Naxal group at age 14, but quit in 1997 and became a lawyer. She joined the Congress in 2017 and won in Mulugu in 2018. Konda Surekha, a four-time MLA and loyalist of YS Rajashekar Reddy who previously served as minister for women's and children's welfare in his cabinet, has again received the women development and child welfare ministry.
Who bagged which portfolio?
C Damodar Raja Narasimha, a three-time MLA, has been appointed as the health minister. He was the deputy CM of undivided Andhra Pradesh from 2011 until the state's bifurcation in 2014. Babu has been made the finance minister, and Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy has been given the irrigation ministry. Jupally Krishna Rao has been given the civil supplies portfolio, while Ponnam Prabhakar is the new Backward Classes welfare minister.
