Hyderabad: Despite securing a clear majority in the Telangana assembly elections, the Congress party was unable to select a candidate for the chief minister post, forcing the postponement of the swearing-in ceremony scheduled for Monday evening.
The party had initially planned to administer the oath of secrecy for the chief minister and deputy chief minister positions, but the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting failed to produce a consensus candidate.
The CLP meeting, held at a hotel in Gachibowli, involved 64 newly elected members and was attended by Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, Telangana Congress affairs in-charge Manikrao Thackeray, and observers sent by the All India Congress Committee (AICC).
In a surprising move, PCC President Revanth Reddy proposed a one-line resolution, seconded by Bhatti Vikramarka and Seethakka, entrusting the decision of CLP leader selection to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge. The resolution was unanimously approved by the elected members.
The move to hand over the decision to Kharge reflects the internal divisions within the Congress and the lack of a clear frontrunner for the chief minister post.
Meanwhile, four senior party leaders – Uttam Kumarreddy, Bhatti Vikramarka, D Sridhar Babu, and Damodar Raj Narasimha – abruptly left the CLP meeting, raising eyebrows in Congress circles.
With the CLP leader yet to be chosen, the swearing-in ceremony has been postponed indefinitely, leaving both the Congress party and the people of Telangana in a state of suspense. The party’s leadership will now meet in Delhi to finalize the decision, likely under the guidance of Sonia Gandhi. (INN)