Hyderabad: Chief Minister designate A. Revanth Reddy will not form a full-fledged Cabinet on Thursday, after taking the oath of office as the chief minister at LB Stadium, it is learnt.
Party sources said that eight or nine ministers are expected to take the oath on Thursday. The upper limit of Telangana cabinet is 18, including the Chief Minister, but it is learnt that only eight or nine ministers will take oath on Thursday.
Though the Congress leadership maintained suspense on the composition of the Cabinet, the sources suggested that Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka will take oath on Thursday and he will be made the deputy chief minister.
The other senior leaders, who are expected to take oath on Thursday, include N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, D. Sridhar Babu, Ponnam Prabhakar, Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy, G. Vinod and Seethakka (Dansari Anasuya).
It is learnt that Revanth Reddy will expand the cabinet after the election of the Speaker. The Legislative Assembly session will be convened very soon to enable elected MLAs to take oath and for election of speaker. It is learnt that Revanth Reddy is considering Tummala Nageshwara Rao for the speaker post.
Revanth Reddy held day-long deliberations with party high command in Delhi on Thursday. He met Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge, AICC general secretary (organisation) K.C.Venugopal. He held discussions on Cabinet formation with K.C. Venugopal and AICC Telangana affairs in-charge Manikrao Thakare,
Revanth Reddy, who reached Hyderabad by a special flight on Thursday evening, went straight to his residence in Jubilee Hills and has not given any clarity to party leaders on how many ministers will take oath along with him on Thursday.
It is learnt that Revanth Reddy will disclose the list of Cabinet ministers on Thursday morning, hours before the swearing-in ceremony.
Revanth Reddy will visit the Secretariat at around 3 pm on Thursday soon after taking oath as the Chief Minister. He will occupy the CM's chambers on the sixth floor and hold a meeting with ministers and officials.
