Congress chief Sonia Gandhi stood alongside Revanth Reddy as he arrived for his swearing-in.
New Delhi:
Revanth Reddy arrived for his swearing-in ceremony Thursday – the 54-year-old is now Chief Minister of Telangana and head of the primary Congress authorities within the still-young state – in an open-top jeep waving to a vocal and adoring crowd at Hyderabad’s 30,000-seat capability LB Stadium.
READ | Revanth Reddy Takes Oath As Telangana Chief Minister, Gandhis On Stage
As big-ticket entrances go, Mr Reddy’s was comparatively subdued; wearing a white shirt and black trousers, and perched on a heavily-garlanded open-top car pushed cautiously by way of a sea of supporters chanting his title. But, in politics, optics are not less than as essential because the scenario itself.
And on this entrance there was one essential message – Sonia Gandhi standing by his aspect. Why was this important?
Because former Congress chief Mrs Gandhi is revered within the southern state as ‘Sonia amma (mom)’ and seen by many because the driving power behind the creation of Telangana in 2014 – when the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance was in energy on the centre.
For Revanth ‘Tiger’ Reddy, who started his post-swearing-in speech with a “jai Soni amma” name, standing subsequent to Sonia Gandhi does two issues.
First, it underlines the help of the matriarch of the Gandhi household in his elevation to Telangana’s prime job six years after becoming a member of the celebration. Widely seen as a near-automatic selection for Chief Minister, Mr Reddy nonetheless needed to see off two challengers – Uttam Kumar Reddy and Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka.
Both are Congress veterans with many years of service to the celebration, each performed key roles within the marketing campaign that delivered Sunday’s win, and each anticipated to be ‘rewarded’ for his or her loyalty.
READ | Revanth Reddy Is Congress Choice, Rivals Give Party A “Loyalty” Reminder
For now, any discontent at shedding the highest publish to Mr Reddy has been put to mattress by making one a Deputy Chief Minister and the opposite a minister, most certainly with a high-profile portfolio. And Mrs Gandhi’s public present of help ought to strengthen the brand new Chief Minister’s hand.
Second, it additionally ups Mr Reddy’s likeability issue among the many individuals of Telangana, hundreds of thousands of whom are agency admirers of Sonia Gandhi significantly, if not the Congress as a celebration. Mr Reddy could not have wanted the serving to hand – he’s already massively in style – however a lift might by no means harm.
Telangana was fashioned in 2014 amid rigidity throughout the then-ruling Congress, and Mrs Gandhi is broadly seen as having performed a key function in pushing by way of the invoice that birthed the state.
READ | Telangana State Likely, Sonia Gandhi Has Cleared It, Say Sources
This included reaching out to the BJP’s Venkaiah Naidu for her fierce rival’s help, and even expelling six of her MPs for trying to stall the invoice within the Lok Sabha and issuing no-confidence motions.
The Congress has by no means shied away from reminding Telangana voters of Mrs Gandhi’s contribution, even demanding, in 2020, {that a} chapter on this matter be included in class syllabuses.
“Just as role of KCR (outgoing Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, hailed as the ‘father of Telangana’) cannot be denied… same is with Sonia Gandhiji’s role. You are incorporating KCR’s role in school syllabus… then why not incorporate Soniaji’s contribution,” then celebration chief Sravan Dasoju stated.
Mrs Gandhi herself referred to as in that love forward of this election; in a video message 48 hours earlier than voting, she stated, “I, with my colleagues, had the opportunity to be part of the birth of this great state… It is my dream to see a Congress government in Telangana… Will you give us your support?”
Message from Telangana’s personal ‘Sonia Amma’ to the individuals of the state#MaarpuKavaliCongressRavalipic.twitter.com/R5tlW0yjSO
— INC Manipur (@INCManipur) November 28, 2023
The reply, because it turned out, was sure. The Congress eased to victory after votes had been counted on Sunday, profitable 64 of 119 seats to oust the BRS that had dominated for the reason that state was fashioned in 2014. The Congress, divided when Telangana was fashioned, didn’t capitalise on its function in its delivery to win the primary election. Now, 9 years later, it lastly has the reigns, and a second state in South India.
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