KCR keeps control.
Sixty six days after winning an absolute majority, Telangana Chief Minister Kalvakunta Chandrashekar Rao, expanded his cabinet on Tuesday in Hyderabad.
On December 11, 2018, the Telangana Rashtra Samithi came back to power after winning 88 seats out of 119 assembly seats. Two independent MLAs pledged their support to TRS after the results taking the TRS tally to 90. On December 13, KCR as Chief Minister along with Mahmood Ali ( home minister ) was sworn in. For more than two months, KCR kept everyone, including his party, MLAs and his own powerful political family members guessing.
Today, at a simple swearing-in at Raj Bhavan in Hyderabad, only ten ministers were sworn in taking the tally of Telangana council of ministers to 12.
However, the interesting story is the absence of the powerful family members and women in the ministry. KCR's son Kalvakuntla Taraka Rama Rao, popularly known as KTR, who was recently elevated in the party as Working President, was not inducted in the ministry. KTR, considered as No 2 in TRS, held all powerful portfolios of Municipal Administration, I.T., Mining.
Along with KTR, KCR's nephew and another high-profile family member, T.Harish Rao ( KCR's nephew ), was not inducted in the ministry. Harish Rao was holding powerful Irrigation portfolio in the earlier government and was equally powerful as KTR.
The rumour mill is working overtime as to why Chief Minister KCR has not inducted his son KTR and Harish Rao. Several reasons are attributed to their non-inclusion. One of them is KCR wants to keep both of them in check and another being he will use their services for Lok Sabha elections where the TRS has the ambitious plan of winning 16 out of 17 Lok Sabha seats in Telangana with the sole exception of Asaduddin Owaisi, for whom the Hyderabad seat is left.
Also, no woman MLA has been able to make it to cabinet this time too. In earlier instance too ( from 2014-18), there was no woman member in KCR cabinet, and this continued even now.
From 2000 to 2014, KCR had to face several ups and downs but after 2014 elections when TRS came to power he established himself as numero uno of Telangana politics. But post-2018 Assembly Elections, KCR has become invincible in Telangana politics and one-man show in his own TRS party.
Another interesting factor which emerged out of today's cabinet expansion is none of those sworn in today was given crucial portfolios like Finance, Irrigation, Municipal Administration, Legislative Affairs, etc. All the important portfolios will be with Chief Minister KCR.
KCR has kept six ministerial berths vacant keeping everyone guessing even now. The permitted number for council of ministers is 18 while 12 slots have been filled till now.
With NDA on one side and Mahagathbandhan on other, KCR's 'Federal Front' idea hasn't found many takers in national politics at present. KCR keenly wants to keep himself relevant in national politics post 2019 General Elections.
As of now, KCR is 'One-Man show' in Telangana, and only time will tell whether he will be a dark horse in national politics after 2019 elections.
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