Over a month after landslide win, KCR yet to announce Cabinet

KCR, meanwhile, is conducting review meetings of various departments like revenue and irrigation.

While the TRS chief has elevated son K T Rama Rao, who was a minister in the previous government, as working president of TRS, his nephew T Harish Rao appears to have been sidelined. Harish was irrigation minister in the previous government and was personally supervising the massive Rs 80,000-crore Kaleswaram irrigation project and many other projects. In fact, for nearly two-and-a-half years, Harish was rarely seen in Hyderabad as he was busy reviewing the progress of the irrigation projects.

After the elections, without any portfolio, Harish is sitting at home in Siddipet. When KCR visited the project sites to inspect the progress on December 16 and 17, he did not invite Harish to accompany him. Sridhar Deshpande, who was officer on special duty to Harish earlier, and other staff who worked for him have been transferred or repatriated to their respective departments. This has led to speculation within the TRS that Harish may not get the irrigation portfolio again.

Some leaders said that Harish, who won from Siddipet with a margin of about 1.20 lakh votes, may not even be made a minister. “KCR and Harish haven’t met after December 14 when K T Rama Rao was elevated as TRS working president. There is no communication between them. It appears that Harish is being sidelined so that KTR can be groomed as a future leader,’’ a TRS leader said.

Harish has not visited the Telangana Bhavan, the TRS’ headquarters in Hyderabad, after December 14 and has also refused to speak to other TRS leaders.

The Telangana Assembly session will be held on January 17 and 18. Apart from elected MLAs taking oath, the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker would be elected during the two-day session. KCR may announce his Cabinet after the session concludes.