Revanth Reddy As Telangana CM Put On Hold; Oath-Taking Ceremony Likely To Be Postponed

In a sudden turn of events, Revanth Reddy's name as Telangana Chief Minister has been put on hold by the All India Congress Committee (AICC) high command.

Reliable sources close to the AICC have confirmed that DK Shivakumar, the current AICC general secretary in-charge of Karnataka, has been called to Delhi for urgent consultations. Shivakumar is expected to leave for Bengaluru shortly and will proceed to Delhi tomorrow. Speaking to News18, Shivakumar, "The election centered around unified leadership in Telangana, and the selection of the Chief Minister will also be a collective decision. We intend to consult with the party high command, legislators, and subsequently make a decision."

Earlier there were reports that Revanth Reddy will take oath as Telangana Chief Minister at the Raj Bhavan on Monday evening at 8.30 pm, as per the sources.

Reddy, a firebrand orator and former MLA, emerged as the frontrunner for the Telangana Chief Minister's post following the Congress party's victory in the recent assembly elections. His supporters hailed him as a charismatic leader with the potential to revitalize the party's fortunes in Telangana.

The newly elected Telangana Congress MLAs met at its office to elect their Legislature Party Leader. The meeting was held in the presence of senior leaders and All India Congress Committee (AICC) observers.

With 64 seats in the 119-seat assembly, the Congress party emerged as the largest opposition party in Telangana after the recently concluded assembly elections. On Sunday, a delegation of Congress leaders met Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan and staked claim to form the government in the state.

Among the frontrunners for the Chief Minister's post is Revanth Reddy, who won from the Kodangal constituency with a margin of over 32,000 votes. Reddy, the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president, has been a vocal critic of the outgoing Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and his Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) government.

Speaking to reporters after the CLP meeting on Monday, DK Shivakumar, the AICC general secretary in-charge of Karnataka, stated that the party's high command will make the final decision on the Chief Minister's appointment.

"Today we had a meeting of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) of the newly elected members of the party. We thank the people of the state for allowing us to form our government here...All the members of the newly elected Congress party unanimously resolved to authorize Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge to appoint the Congress legislature party leader. All have decided that whatever the high command decides, we will go by that..." Shivakumar said.