TRS abuzz with reshuffle talk, Kavitha debut likely

Palla, Sandra to join team, Malla Reddy, Eshwar out

Daughter of Chief Minister K. Chandrashehar Rao, Nizamabad MLC Kalvakuntla Kavitha, is set to enter the State Cabinet soon. The other new entrants into the Cabinet could be the recently re-elected graduate constituency MLC Palla Rajeshwar Reddy and MLA Sandra Venkata Veeriah.

Since the day Etala Rajendar was unceremoniously dropped from the Cabinet, there was a growing buzz in TRS circles that two more ministers, Ch Malla Reddy and Koppula Eshwar, would be shown the door soon, to pave way for the entry of three new ministers into the Chandrashekar Rao Cabinet.

Since all elections in the state are over, the next one being the December 2023 Assembly polls, TRS sources say the focus within the party is of the Chief

Since the day Etala Rajender was dropped from the Cabinet, there was a growing buzz in TRS circles that two more ministers, Ch Malla Reddy and Koppula Eshwar, would also be shown the door soon

Minister constituting a ‘Team 2023’. Multiple sources in the party confirmed that this is indeed the biggest focal point of conversation currently in TRS circles.

Though there were no official indications from the party supremo over taking up an immediate Cabinet reshuffle, speculations within the TRS refuse to die down over the ‘KCR’s Team 2023’, which could be constituted in the next three months.

It is significant that this is seen as the ‘election 2023 Cabinet’, based on whose performance the party hopes to make its bid for a third consecutive term in power. After the TRS government assumed office for a second term in December 2018, CM Rao took only Mohd Mahmood Ali into the Cabinet as home minister. He was previously the deputy CM.

The two-member Cabinet continued until February 19, 2019, when the Chief Minister expanded his Cabinet by inducting 10 ministers. There were still six vacancies in the Cabinet, which the Chief Minister filled on September 8, 2019.

There has been no Cabinet reshuffle since then. Though speculations of a Cabinet rejig surfaced several times during the past 20 months, it did not materialise. Party leaders attribute this to successive elections and the Coronavirus pandemic, which has pushed all other considerations to the back burner.

Now that all elections have been completed in Telangana state, party leaders believe that the Chief Minister will constitute an ‘election Cabinet’ soon, keeping an eye on retaining the Assembly polls.

Kavitha entered state politics, when the party fielded her in the MLC elections for the Nizamabad local body seat, which she won with a thumping majority in October 2020.

TRS leaders are excited that the stage is finally set to induct her into the Cabinet. This will be the ministerial debut for her, having served one term as a Lok Sabha MP from 2014 to 2019.

Labour minister Malla Reddy has been frequently landing in controversies, due to which he faces an imminent threat of ouster from the Cabinet. The CM is also reportedly unhappy over the performance of social welfare minister Koppula Eshwar, who represents the Scheduled Castes community in the Cabinet. He will be in most likelihood be replaced by Sandra Veeraiah from the Dalit community.