Tuesday’s Cabinet expansion saw Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao rewarding leaders with experience notwithstanding the fact that some of them had switched their loyalties very recently.
The Chief Minister adopted a multi-pronged strategy in selecting the new Ministers. Firstly, he went by the experience of these leaders and their support base in the respective districts. Secondly, by handpicking three leaders – Tummala Nageswara Rao, Talasani Srinivas Yadav and Allolla Indrakaran Reddy -- Mr. Rao eyed their strong connect with grassroots to strengthen the party in Khammam, Hyderabad and Adilabad districts.
In contrast, Jupally Krishna Rao, who was a Congress Minister and quit his post for the cause of separate Telangana and C. Laxma Reddy, two-time MLA from Jadcharla besides tribal leader Ajmeera Chandulal, were recognised for their loyalty to the TRS. Barring Indrakaran Reddy and Dr. Laxma Reddy, the other four worked as Ministers in the TDP and Congress governments.
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Elevation of Mr. Srinivas Yadav is an indication as to how his services are going to be utilised by the ruling party in the GHMC polls. “In our endeavour to reach out to the people of the twin cities, Mr. Yadav fits into our scheme of things,” a TRS leader remarked. With large presence of the Yadava and Goud communities in the twin cities besides the minorities, the TRS obviously wants to use Mr. Yadav and Excise Minister T. Padma Rao, a Goud.
The TRS leadership maintained that Tummala has been rewarded for carrying a majority of the TDP cadre along with him into TRS. “We are weak in Khammam and Tummala, a Kamma leader, has good following. His experience and stature will be used to strengthen the party there,” a TRS leader remarked. Mr. Indrakaran Reddy has been rewarded for merging the BSP in TRS and also ensuring the defection of a Congress MLA.
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In Mahabubnagar, the TRS leadership realised the need to prop up a Reddy Minister to woo that community and promoted Dr. Laxma Reddy. Jupally is another leader, who has his own following in the district. “Both the leaders have wide contacts and the party can’t ignore the Reddys,” TRS leaders pointed out.
Mr. Chandulal, a seasoned tribal leader, got the nod as other ST legislators are first timers. TRS leaders said except Konda Surekha and Deputy Speaker Padma Devender Reddy, the other women legislators are all first timers and hence missed the bus.
The party was also hard pressed as Warangal already enjoyed key positions in governance as well as legislature with the Deputy Chief Minister and the Speaker belonging to the district. Induction of Mr. Chandulal and elevation of Pranay Bhaskar as Parliamentary Secretary has added two more posts to the district.
Party leaders justified inclusion of defectors into the Cabinet on the ground that there were no elections in the near future barring the GHMC polls. “To take our programmes forward towards achieving Bangaru Telangana, we need to bank on senior leaders, irrespective of their loyalties,” quipped an influential TRS leader.