Revanth Reddy Expands Cabinet: Vivek Venkataswamy, Laxman Kumar, Srihari Sworn In

Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy expanded his Cabinet on Sunday by inducting three new ministers. G. Vivek Venkataswamy, Adluri Laxman Kumar, and Vakiti Srihari were sworn in during a ceremony held at Raj Bhavan. The oath was administered by Governor Jishnu Dev Varma.

The swearing-in ceremony was attended by Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, other Cabinet ministers, Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president Mahesh Kumar Goud, and several senior government officials. While Vivek Venkataswamy took his oath in English, both Laxman Kumar and Srihari took their oaths in Telugu.

This marks the first Cabinet expansion since Revanth Reddy assumed office on December 7, 2023, when the Chief Minister and 11 ministers were sworn in. The expansion comes after the All India Congress Committee (AICC) approved the names of the new ministers. Although more positions remain unfilled, the party leadership has opted to keep three Cabinet posts vacant, even though the state can appoint up to 18 ministers, including the Chief Minister.

Among the newly inducted ministers, G. Vivek Venkataswamy and Adluri Laxman Kumar belong to the Scheduled Castes, while Vakiti Srihari represents the Backward Classes. Ramachandra Naik, a tribal MLA, has also been given a key role with his appointment as the Deputy Speaker of the Telangana Legislative Assembly. Naik represents the Dornakal constituency in Mahabubabad district.

Vivek Venkataswamy, an industrialist and former Member of Parliament from Peddapalli (elected in 2009), has had a dynamic political journey. Initially with the Congress, he later joined the TRS (now BRS) to advocate for Telangana statehood. After the formation of Telangana in 2014, he returned to Congress, only to rejoin TRS in 2016. In 2019, following a denial of a Lok Sabha ticket, he resigned as a government advisor and left the ruling party. He subsequently joined the BJP, but quit in November 2023 to return to Congress ahead of the state Assembly elections. He won from the Chennur constituency in Mancherial district, defeating sitting MLA Balka Suman of the BRS.

Adluri Laxman Kumar, a senior Congress leader, was elected as a first-time MLA from Dharmapuri in Jagitial district.

Vakiti Srihari, a seasoned politician with over three decades in Congress, began his political career as a Youth Congress leader. He currently represents the Makthal Assembly constituency in Narayanpet district.

With this expansion, the Telangana government aims to bring more social and regional representation into the Cabinet, reflecting a broader strategy by the Congress leadership to strengthen its hold in the state.