Will KCR include son and nephew in cabinet expansion

The much-awaited expansion of Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao‘s cabinet is expected in time for the Assembly monsoon session during the second week of September.

The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) chief has kept the party in suspense about the inclusion of his son and party working president K Taraka Ramarao and his nephew T Harish Rao who were out of the cabinet some ten months ago when KCR suspended the Assembly and gone for early-elections. KCR’s cabinet has 12 members now leaving a chance for another six ministers.

While the inclusion of Harish Rao who is the party’s major troubleshooter and was the irrigation minister under whose supervision the state successfully completed mega projects such as Kaleswaram is still not clear, KTR might retain his Information Technology and Urban development portfolios in the coming expansion plan. Party sources say that if KTR takes up cabinet post then his sister and former Nizamabad MP, K Kavitha will don the role of the working president.

KCR who wanted a play a key role in national politics by winning all the 16 seats it contested in the general elections, by floating a third front was forced to change his plans. The plan to make KTR the chief minister and rope in Harish with him to be in New Delhi was scrapped, paving the way to their inclusion.

Plans to checkmate BJP

The Chief Minister, who is very keen about the image of the leaders is said to be weighing the pros and cons of each candidate. The expansion which might even have few surprise deletions and reshuffle of portfolios is expected to address the problem of resurgent BJP in the state. With TRS losing four MP seats to BJP in the recent elections and out of the four two seats to leaders belonging to Munnuru Kapu cast, the party is planning to rope in at least one from the caste.

There is also a chance for 5 Reddy candidates in the 18 member cabinet. It is said that Sabitha Indrareddy the first lady home minister of the combined AP state who has shifted to TRS from Congress is sure getting the first even woman minister post in KCR’s cabinet. Party MLC Gutha Sukhender Reddy another prominent Reddy candidate is expected to get a call from KCR.