Hyderabad: TRS legislators are waiting for party president and Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao to nominate the candidate for the Legislative Council election from the Assembly quota, as they feel it will give a clue to his thinking on the Cabinet expansion.
Only two days are left for filling the nominations for the lone seat from the MLAs quota.
The names of two leaders are said to be under Mr Rao’s consideration: Former MP Gutta Sukhender Reddy and party leader K. Naveen Rao.
Mr Chandrasekhar Rao had promised Mr Sukhender Reddy that he would be inducted into the Cabinet. For this, he has to be elected from either House. Mr Sukhender Reddy was asked to contest the election for the Legislative Council from the Nalgonda local bodies quota. He preferred to face the poll from the MLAs quota.
Mr Naveen Rao had aspired for the Malkaj-giri Lok Sabha constituency ticket but it was given to Mr Marri Rajasekhar Reddy, the son-in-law of minister Ch Malla Reddy. At that time, Mr Rao had promised Mr Naveen Rao to accommodate him in the Legislative Council.
Besides, Mr Chandra-sekhar Rao also wanted to expand the Cabinet after the Lok Sabha elections.
In his first Cabinet expansion, Mr Rao had inducted 10 ministers and there are six berths vacant. Party legislators are not sure whether Mr Rao will expand the Cabinet now, and are unable to read his mind. Speculation is growing that if Mr Sukhender Reddy is nominated to the Council, there are chances that he would be inducted into the Cabinet and this would mean that Mr Chandrasekhar Rao is expanding his team.
If Mr Naveen Rao is given the ticket, there will be no chance of a Cabinet expansion for the time being.
If Mr Sukhender Reddy is to be taken into the Cabinet, he has to be elected from either the Assembly or the Legislative Council within six months. There are few chances of having another round of MLC elections in the next six months unless the Telangana state High Court strikes down the petition filled by three Congress MLCs who had been disqualified.
If there is a Cabinet expansion, it is not clear if Mr Chandrasekhar Rao will reshuffle his team in the wake of the Lok Sabha results or add more ministers.
