Most Telangana MLAs back Revanth Reddy; disagreement over deputy CM post

HYDERABAD: The Congress was forced to delay the swearing-in of the new government in the state after some of its senior leaders are said to have objected to TPCC president Revanth Reddy's name as chief minister.
Also See: Telangana CM News Live
Karnataka deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar and other AICC observers went to Delhi in a special flight on Monday with the details of the opinions of the 64 MLAs, which was taken in a one-on-one meeting at a private hotel at Gachibowli.They will submit the opinion of the MLAs to AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday following which the party high command is likely to build consensus among the legislators.
The individual opinion of legislators was taken after the CLP meeting passed a unanimous resolution authorising Kharge to decide the chief minister. Sources said that some of the legislators named former CLP leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, Uttam Kumar Reddy and Sridhar Babu as possible CMs. However, a majority of the MLAs threw their weight behind Telangana Congress president Revanth Reddy, said a leader privy to the developments.

Earlier during the day, the talk in Congress circles was that the AICC leadership had finalised Revanth as chief minister and that Uttam, Bhatti, Sridhar Babu and the Komatireddy brothers opposed his candidature. Most senior leaders denied that AICC was backing Revanth. Sources said the five leaders did not go to the private hotel to attend the CLP meeting and Shivakumar rushed to meet them at another hotel in the city. He reportedly pacified them by saying that no decision on the chief minister had been taken. Subsequently, they went and attended the CLP meeting.
There was also a difference of opinion on deputy chief minister's post. Bhatti, who is being tipped as the Dalit CM face of the Congress, reportedly opposed the plan to have multiple deputy CMs stating that if he is denied the CM's post, then he must be made the only deputy CM and that he should be given an important portfolio.

There was also no consensus on who should be the speaker and deputy speaker of the assembly, TPCC president and deputy chief ministers. If Revanth is elected as CLP leader, the post of TPCC chief is likely to be given to a senior leader.