Revanth Reddy is widely seen as a frontrunner to be appointed the new Telangana Chief Minister (File)
New Delhi:
There is no consensus within the Congress on who will be the next Telangana Chief Minister, sources told NDTV on Monday afternoon, 24 hours after the party edged past K Chandrasekhar Rao's BRS.
Soon after the Congress victory was confirmed, state unit chief Revanth Reddy, who is considered responsible for orchestrating the success, had emerged as a more than likely candidate for the top post.
However, the fiery 54-year-old, a former member of the BRS and BJP youth wing, has his share of critics in the party and that is believed to have raised a number of red flags about his possible appointment.
READ | Revanth Reddy built Congress's Telangana victory, was once with KCR, BJP
One set of sources had suggested to NDTV that Mr Reddy is the first choice; “…we will take a call (based) on the observers' report (but) Revanth Reddy is the clear frontrunner,” NDTV was told.
Mr. Reddy contested this election from Kodangal and won the seat. He also contested Kamareddy – a high-profile clash with KCR that ended with a dramatic twist.
KV Ramana Reddy of the BJP emerged as a giant killer and defeated both of them.
READ | “No star, trapped in 'Star Wars'”: BJP's KCR, Revanth Reddy Giant-Killer
However, others said plans for the swearing-in ceremony – which was reportedly scheduled for this evening – had been postponed “until the decision on the Prime Minister has been taken.” These sources also said that Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge will announce a name only after a meeting with the party's election observers, a panel that also includes Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar.
The observers will fly to Delhi on Tuesday, sources said.
Meanwhile, a meeting of the party's newly elected MLAs was held in Hyderabad and as expected, they passed a resolution authorizing Mr Kharge to choose a new chief minister.
There are at least two other possible candidates for the top job of the state government and all those who want to succeed K Chandrasekhar Rao at the chief minister's post are also lobbying the senior leadership.
READ | Who will be the Chief Minister of Telangana? 3 Congress leaders are frontrunners
One of these is Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, a Dalit leader who was also a prominent face in the campaign.
Before the elections, Vikramarka undertook a 1,400 km state march to better understand voters' concerns. Sources said the 62-year-old leader's yatra played a key role in Congress' victory.
Another is Uttam Kumar Reddy, a seven-time MLA and ex-Air Force pilot who was the Congress chief until Revanth Reddy took over.
He remains a popular face among party workers and could be in the race, if only to avoid possible future rifts by elevating Revanth Reddy to a top position less than a decade after joining the party.
The Congress – decimated by the BJP in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh – secured some consolation by claiming victory in Telangana. The party won 64 seats, four more than the majority. The BRS won the state with 88 seats in 2018, but won only 39 this time.
READ | BJP State Tally Now 12, Congress Reduced to Three. What it means for 2024
The BJP won only eight seats out of the 111 it contested, but this was seven more than in 2018. Moreover, the party also saw its vote share rise from 6.98 percent to almost 14 percent.
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