New Delhi: With more seniors staking claims for the top job in Telangana, Congress senior leader Rahul Gandhi has explicitly stated that his choice would be Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee(TPCC) president Revanth Reddy.
"My choice is Revanth Reddy. He should be the CM," Rahul Gandhi has been quoted as telling the pary chief, according to the party insiders.
Rahul made this statement to his party colleagues during a high level meeting called for by the party chief Mallikarjun Kharge to choose the Congress Legislature Party leader for the southern state, which the party had wrested from the K Chandrashekar Rao led-BRS. It is the second state in the south after Karnataka, the grand old party had gained.
Top Congress leadership Tuesday met at the residence of Kharge and held detailed discussions over the government formation in Telangana.
Rahul Gandhi who attended the meeting also had a word with Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, and sought the latter's inputs again. Telangana Congress in-charge Manikrao Thakre who has submitted his report to the party highcommand was also present during the meeting. The leaders also discussed the formalities of government formation in Telangana.
Shivakumar was one of the party's observers appointed to talk to newly-elected Telangana MLAs and pass on their views on who should head the government as their Chief Minister. Shivakumar, who is also the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president, has collated their views and passed the same to the Congress president.
Reddy has been credited with the party's win in the recently concluded November 30 Assembly Elections. The grand old party defeated the BRS in Telangana and wrested power in the southern state, which was carved out by bifurcating Andhra Pradesh as the last of the states during its tenure in 2014.
Sources said there will be a formal meeting of the CLP later in the evening where Revanth Reddy will be formally elected as the CLP leader to lead the government.
There is no official word yet on swearing-in. Earlier, Revanth has asserted that the swearing-in will be held at the LB Stadium on December 9, and it will be live-telecast for all the denizens to watch.
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