KCR sets muhurat for Cabinet expansion

​Hyderabad:  The newly-elected Telangana Assembly will meet for the first session on the auspicious day of Ekadasi on January 17. The first sitting of the House will last for four days. Seniormost MLA of the House Mumtaz Ahmed Khan, representing the Charminar Assembly constituency, will take oath as Protem Speaker in the Raj Bhavan at 5 pm on January 16, a day before the commencement of the session. Governor ESL Narasimhan will administer the oath to the Protem Speaker. This is being seen as a return gift to the AIMIM for supporting the party since the formation of the new state and continuing to be an ally even now.

Though the Assembly results were declared on December 11 and the TRS got landslide victory, the Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao did not constitute his Cabinet nor was the Assembly convened to enable the newly-elected MLAs to take oath as the Chief Minister felt that there were no auspicious days till Sankranthi. Since Uttarayana days would usher in from Sankranthi, it has now been decided to convene the Assembly and to constitute a small Cabinet. Speculations are rife that KCR may induct about eight or 10 members into the cabinet. Soon after elections, he and Mehmood Ali were sworn in as Chief Minister and Home Minister, respectively.

On the first day of the session, the Protem Speaker will administer the oath to all the newly-elected MLAs and also issue notification for the election of the Speaker. The election for the Speaker post will be held on January 18. The political circles are abuzz with the talk that the Chief Minister may pick TRS senior leaders Eatala Rajendar, Pocharam Srinivasa Reddy, Redya Naik or Koppula Eshwar for the post of the Speaker.  

Deputy Speaker in the previous Assembly Padma Devendar Reddy’s name is also under consideration. But it is also said that these leaders are not too enthusiastic as they feel that so far barring Yanamala Ramakrishnudu in the undivided Andhra Pradesh, no other person who was elected Speaker had won the election next time. On January 19, the Governor will address the House. The next day, the House will introduce the Motion of Thanks to the Governor’s address and adopt the same.