Anumula Revanth Reddy, the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president, took the oath as the Chief Minister of Telangana at the Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium in Hyderabad on Thursday. This marks a significant milestone as Reddy becomes the first Congress chief minister of the state since its establishment in 2014.
The swearing-in ceremony, presided over by Tamilisai Soundararajan, the Governor of Telangana, witnessed the presence of key Congress leaders, including AICC Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and AICC General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi. The event also featured a warm welcome from Telangana artistes for the Congress party leaders.
Gaddam Prasad Kumar was elected as the Speaker, and Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka will serve as the Deputy Chief Minister in the newly formed Revanth Reddy Cabinet. Additionally, ten other ministers, along with the Deputy CM and the Speaker, took their oaths during the grand swearing-in ceremony.
Revanth Reddy led the Congress party to victory in the recent Assembly polls, securing 64 seats out of 119, triumphing over the incumbent Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) with 39 seats. Known for his strong criticism of outgoing Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, Revanth Reddy played a pivotal role in the Congress's successful campaign.
Revanth Reddy, aged 56, had previously won the Andhra Pradesh Assembly elections in 2014 from the Kodangal seat, securing a vote share of 46.45 per cent. Despite losing the seat in the 2019 Telangana Assembly elections, he continued to be a prominent figure in state politics. In 2017, he left the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and joined the Congress, eventually assuming the role of TPCC president in June 2021.
The Congress's triumph in Telangana marks a historic moment for the party, securing an absolute majority with 64 seats out of 119 in the state assembly, ushering in a new era of leadership under Chief Minister Anumula Revanth Reddy.