Reasons For KCR Delaying Telangana Cabinet Formation

Hyderabad: It has been close to a month since the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) came into power and all that we have seen so far was the swearing-in-ceremony of the party supremo K Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR) and party MLC Mohammed Mehmood Ali, who took oath as chief minister and deputy CM respectively. There’s a lot of buzz in the power corridors with theories over the delay in the formation of the government. The inordinate delay has led to lobbying for cabinet berth by the MLAs and TRS Working President  K T Rama Rao's office is buzzing with hopeful aspirants for a chance.

Sources close to KCR say that there is no issue and since it's a 17-member ministry, he has to weigh the options and consider aspects like districts, equations and the caste factor. The other fact they say that he wants to allot related departments to a one minister for effective governance and also consider the seniority and experience of the leaders. News is that the TRS chief also wants to form the cabinet after the MLC elections are over and pick prospective nominees for 17 MLC seats.

KCR is yet to pick a name for the Assembly Speaker post, which he is finding it daunting as many of them have sent feelers that they don't want to take up this post. He also has to choose the right candidates for parliamentary secretaries in a short time so they can help him propel the party in the Lok Sabha elections. The rumour is that he may form the full cabinet after the Lok Sabha elections, which will further delay the process.

The other reason which is keeping him preoccupied is his Federal Front which he plans to use to foray into National Politics, for which he is also on a state-hopping spree where he has met several national leaders like Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik and Bengal’s Mamata Banarjee. The Telangana chief minister has also met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and is said to be looking out for a piece of land there to build the TRS bhavan.

The most talked about rumours is KCR’s superstitious beliefs which are well known even to the public. He dissolved the party on a specific date and even took oath at a designated time in the afternoon. They said that after Sankranti when the inauspicious days are over he would take a proper decision and form the government.

Another reason for the delay is that KCR plans to perform yet another big Yagnam to ensure the welfare of the people of the state. This would be a five-day 'Maha Rudhra Sahitha Sahasra Chandi Maha Yagam' at his farm house in Erravelli village of Siddipet district from January 21 to 25, where more than 250 priests are expected to gather to perform. KCR has openly admitted that he strongly believes in ancient Hindu customs and rituals.

Meanwhile, KCR is busy keeping tabs on the performance of key departments as well as officials. He visited the Kaleswaram project and other irrigation projects and instructed officials to speed up the completion. The assembly session is expected to commence from January 17 for oath taking ceremony of the newly elected MLAs and to elect the speaker and deputy speaker. Probably by that time there could be a clear picture about when he plans to form the cabinet.

Also Read: TRS Poised For Makeover As KTR Eyes Lok Sabha Poll Preparation