Telangana Congress president A Revanth Reddy (2nd from left) and party leaders N Uttam Kumar Reddy (left), DK Shivakumar (4th from left) and others meet Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan to stake claim to form the government in the state, in Hyderabad on December 3, 2023. (PTI)
Telangana Election: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, credited with delivering Telangana for the Congress and tasked with keeping the new flock together in Hyderabad, said the Congress does not need the support of any potential BRS rebels to form its first government in India’s youngest state
Is Revanth Reddy the next Telangana Chief Minister? In an exclusive interview to News18, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, credited with delivering Telangana for the Congress and tasked with keeping the new flock together in Hyderabad, said the “collective leadership” will decide on the Telangana CM.
The Congress won 64 seats in the 119-member Telangana Assembly, crossing the majority mark of 60 and ousting the K Chandrashekar Rao-led BRS which won 39 seats. The BJP and AIMIM won eight apiece.
Speaking to News18, DK Shivakumar said the Congress does not need the support of any potential BRS rebels to form its first government in India’s youngest state. “I have spoken to my party leadership, and we have worked out the way forward to deliver our promises as early as possible,” he said.
Edited excerpts:
You are being called the game-changer who changed the course for the Congress in Telangana. What do you attribute this win to?
I am not the game-changer. Game-changers are the people of Telangana, the voters, leaders who wanted a change and brought about this change in the state. The success story lies with all the people who brought our party to power.
Are you able to keep the flock together, and are people from the BRS also joining your party because you have your numbers, but it is not as much as the 75-plus you predicted?
We do not need anyone’s support as we have an absolute majority. There are a lot of political equations between political parties in this state, which I do not want to get involved in. We have a good number, that is more than enough, and we are going to form the government in Telangana. I have spoken to my party leadership, and we have worked out the way forward to deliver our promises as early as possible.
Are you happy with the Congress’s performance?
Yes, but I would also like to say that I thought we would cross 70 seats, but still, I am happy. We are hopeful that whichever part of the country, the Congress party will bloom again, and soon a time will come when the people of the country will vote in favour of the Congress again.
KT Rama Rao spoke of the BRS working as a constructive Opposition, even though there have been talks that they were involved in back-door talks to get people from the Congress to their party…
I saw the tweets and posts of K Chandrashekar Rao and KT Rama Rao, and they have understood the pulse of the people and respect the verdict of the people of Telangana. Saying so will give the BRS a good image, and we hope they keep up their word of being a good Opposition.
Who will be the Chief Minister of Telangana? Has the RRR model (Rahul Gandhi, Revanth Reddy model) helped, and is Revanth Reddy going to be CM?
This election was fought on the basis of a collective leadership in Telangana, and the decision of who will be CM will also be taken collectively. We will speak to the party high command, legislators, and then take a call.
