Line cleared for cabinet berth for Sabita Indra Reddy with merger move

Hyderabad: With merger of Congress Legislature Party (CLP) with Telangana Rashtra Samithi Legislature Party (TRSLP) looking certain, lines would be cleared for the Congress senior legislator Sabita Indra Reddy and others for getting berth in Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao's cabinet.

With twelve Congress MLAs giving letter to the Telangana Speaker Pocharam Srinivas Reddy urging him to take up merger of CLP with TRSLP, the strength of the ruling party in the Assembly is slated to increase to 104 including the nominated MLA in the House of 118 (one vacancy). Sources said that the speaker may issue bulletin on the merger and this would pave way for the expansion of KCR's cabinet.

Earlier, TRS had won 88 seats and after elections two Independent MLAs joined the ruling party taking the tally to 90. Later, one after other 12 Congress MLAs pledged support to the pink party taking the tally to 102. Already one of the two TDP MLAs have also decided to support TRS and taking the tally to 104 including nominated MLA. Now the House has seven MIM MLAs, six Congress MLAs and one MLA each from TDP and BJP. TPCC Chief N Uttam Kumar Reddy had resigned from Huzurnagar Assembly constituency after he won from Nalgonda.

Sources said that the chief minister KCR had deliberately delayed the expansion of cabinet only to accommodate couple of ministers from the rebel camp of the Congress party. There is no woman candidate in KCR's cabinet and chief minister had already made announcement in the Assembly that there would be two women in the cabinet. Sources said that Sabita Indra Reddy is likely to get chance as one of the two women candidate. Similarly, there are talks that another Congress MLA Vanama Venkateshwara Rao may also get cabinet berth. There are also talks about TDP leader Sandra Venkata Veeraiah may also get chance in the cabinet. Sources said that Sandra had decided to join TRS with the assurance of cabinet berth. He had already met CM KCR and had discussions in this regard, sources said.

Sources said that the TRS chief did not want to face the embarrassment of giving ministerial post to other party leaders. During the first term, KCR had inducted T Srinivas Yadav, who continued to be TDP MLA for entire term. This time, the TRS chief asked the MLAs to resign and join the party. However, with majority of the MLAs on their side, the rebel MLAs gave merger proposal to the speaker and this would make it easier for the Congress leaders to get minister posts, sources said.