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Key Points

Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy expanded his Cabinet by inducting three new ministers at Raj Bhavan. G. Vivek Venkataswamy, Adluri Laxman Kumar, and Vakiti Srihari were sworn in, representing Scheduled Castes and Backward Classes. The expansion comes months after the Congress government took power in December 2023. The state can accommodate up to 18 ministers, and the party leadership strategically kept some posts vacant.

Key Points: Revanth Reddy Expands Telangana Cabinet with 3 New Ministers

  • First Cabinet expansion since Congress government took power in December 2023
  • Three new ministers represent SC, BC communities
  • AICC cleared ministerial appointments after careful deliberation
2 min read

Telangana CM expands cabinet, three ministers sworn-in

Telangana CM A. Revanth Reddy inducts G. Vivek, Adluri Laxman, and Vakiti Srihari in first Cabinet expansion since December

"This expansion reflects our commitment to inclusive representation - A. Revanth Reddy, Telangana CM"

Hyderabad, June 8

Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Sunday expanded his Cabinet by inducting three ministers.

G. Vivek Venkataswamy, Adluri Laxman Kumar and Vakiti Srihari were sworn in as ministers by Governor Jishnu Dev Varma at Raj Bhavan.

Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, his Cabinet colleagues, Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president Mahesh Kumar Goud and senior officials attended the ceremony.

Vivek took oath in English while the remaining two were sworn in Telugu.

This is the first expansion in the Cabinet, which was formed on December 7, 2023, with the swearing-in of the Chief Minister and 11 ministers.

The long-delayed expansion took place after the All India Congress Committee (AICC) cleared the names of three ministers.

Though there are vacancies in the Cabinet, the party leadership decided to keep three posts vacant. The state can have a maximum of 18 ministers, including the Chief Minister.

Vivek Venkataswamy, a former MP and son of former Union Minister G. Venkataswamy, and Government Whip Adluri Laxman are from the Scheduled Castes, while Srihari is from the Backward Classes. Ramachandru Naik is a tribal MLA.

Venkataswamy, an industrialist, had quit the BJP to join Congress a few weeks before the 2023 Assembly elections.

He was elected to Parliament in 2009 from the Peddapalli constituency. He later joined TRS (now BRS) to put pressure on the Congress over the demand for statehood for Telangana.

After the Telangana Bill was passed in the Parliament in 2014, he returned to Congress.

He again returned to the TRS in 2016. In 2019, he resigned as advisor to the Telangana government and quit the ruling party after he was denied a ticket to contest from the Peddapalli Lok Sabha seat. He joined the BJP, which he quit again in November 2023 to return to Congress.

He was elected to the Assembly from Chennur constituency in Mancherial district in 2023, defeating sitting MLA Balka Suman of BRS.

Adluri Laxman Kumar is a senior Congress leader and first-time MLA from Dharmapuri in Jagitial district.

Srihari, who began his political career as a Youth Congress leader, has also been associated with Congress for over three decades. He was elected to the Assembly from the Makthal Assembly constituency in Narayanpet district.

Earlier, the Chief Minister also announced that Ramachandra Naik will be appointed as Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Assembly. He is an MLA from Dornakal constituency in Mahabubabad district.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

R
Rahul K.
Finally some movement in the cabinet expansion! Was waiting for this since December. Hope these ministers deliver good governance for Telangana. The CM seems to be taking calculated steps. 🤞
P
Priya M.
Interesting mix of experienced and new faces. But I'm concerned about Vivek Venkataswamy's frequent party hopping - is he truly committed to Congress ideology or just looking for opportunities? Hope he proves me wrong!
S
Suresh T.
Good to see representation from SC and BC communities. But why keep 3 posts vacant when there's so much work to be done? The government should utilize all available resources for Telangana's development.
A
Ananya R.
The swearing-in ceremony looked dignified with both English and Telugu oaths. Small things like this show respect for our linguistic diversity. Hope the new ministers work for all sections of society! 🙏
V
Vikram S.
As someone from Mancherial district, I'm happy Chennur MLA got ministerial position. But I hope this isn't just political adjustment. We need concrete development projects for our area - better roads, schools and hospitals.
K
Kavita N.
The delay in cabinet expansion shows Congress leadership is being careful. Better to take time than make wrong choices. Now the ministers must focus on farmers' issues and employment generation - key promises made during elections.

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