Revanth Reddy Sworn In As Telangana's Chief Minister; Mallu Bhatti Vikaramarka Takes Charge As His Deputy

In a significant political development, Anumula Revanth Reddy, the key architect behind the Telangana Congress's resounding victory in the November 30 Assembly polls, was sworn in today as the state's second Chief Minister. The swearing-in ceremony, conducted at Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium in Hyderabad, was administered by Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan.

Accompanying Chief Minister Reddy, 11 members of his cabinet also took the oath of office. Notably, Mallu Bhatti Vikaramarka assumed the role of Deputy Chief Minister, while N Uttam Kumar Reddy, former Telangana Congress chief and an initial critic of Revanth Reddy's candidacy, was among those sworn in. The remaining cabinet members include Sridhar Babu, Ponnam Prabhakar, Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, Damodar Rajanarasimha, Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy, Dana Anasuya, Tummala Nageswar Rao, Konda Surekha, and Jupally Krishna Rao. The diverse composition of the cabinet reflects the party's strategic inclusivity in its leadership structure.

Revanth Reddy handed K Chandrashekhar Rao his first defeat since 1983, after the Congress party defeated Bharat Rashtra Samithi by winning 64 out of the total 119 seats. Although Reddy was the ideal chief ministerial candidate for the Congress, his two-decade political journey started first with BJP’s student wing Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). He then switched to Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in 2007 and was appointed as Telangana Congress chief in July 2021.

The guest list for the swearing-in ceremony included leaders from various political parties across India. Invitations were extended by the Congress party to heads of all Indian parties for the event in Hyderabad. D Raja, the General Secretary of the Communist Party of India (CPI), confirmed his attendance, having received an invitation from Revanth Reddy. This collaboration between the CPI and Congress was part of their pre-poll alliance for the recent assembly elections.

Among the notable attendees were Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy D K Shivakumar, both anticipated to participate in the swearing-in ceremony.