A couple of days after the induction of three more ministers in his cabinet, Telangana chief minister A Revanth Reddy is believed to be effecting major changes in portfolios allotted to various cabinet colleagues.
According to sources, the Congress high command is in advanced discussions with the chief minister regarding the reallocation of departments and distribution of portfolios to newly inducted ministers.
On Monday, Revanth Reddy met with AICC general secretary K C Venugopal for over an hour. On Tuesday afternoon, Revanth is scheduled to meet AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge, where final decisions on reshuffling are likely to be taken.
The Congress high command insists that social justice must be reflected not only in ministerial appointments but also in portfolio allocations. Some ministers' performance has already been flagged as unsatisfactory by party leaders.
Meenakshi Natarajan, AICC in-charge for Telangana, has submitted reports to the high command based on her interactions with MPs, MLAs, MLCs, and other leaders.
Party leaders feel that some ministers managing multiple key departments are overwhelmed, resulting in underperformance.
Revanth Reddy, currently handling over ten key portfolios — including Education, Municipal Development, Home, and Law — is expected to offload some departments, especially Municipal Development.
Newly inducted ministers like Gaddam Vivek Venkatswamy are reportedly seeking the Education or Power departments. At present, Power is with Deputy CM Bhatti Vikramarka. It is also rumored that several important posts like Corporation Chairpersons may soon be filled.
During the Monday meeting at Indira Bhavan in Delhi, discussions focused on which departments should be allocated to newly inducted ministers — Vakati Sridhar, Gaddam Vivek, and Adluri Laxman. Revanth reportedly handed over a list of proposed changes to K C Venugopal.
Key unallocated departments currently under the CM’s control include: Education, Municipal Adminstration and Urban Development, Home, Mines and Geology, SC/ST/Minority Welfare, Commercial Taxes, Animal Husbandry, Law, Labour, Youth and Sports.
According to speculations, Gaddam Vivek might be given Labour, Mining, or Sports instead. Adluri Laxman might get SC/ST Welfare, and Vakati Sridhar could be allocated Animal Husbandry, Law, or Fisheries.
The Congress high command is reviewing not just portfolios but also ministers' leadership styles and effectiveness. Changes in one or two portfolios are highly likely, sources said.
