KCR Puts His Federal Front Plans Aside After NDA's Massive Win, Likely to Expand Cabinet on June 2

Hyderabad: With the BJP-led NDA securing a heavy majority in the Lok Sabha elections, TRS supremo and Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao's plans to stitch a "non-Congress, non-BJP" front of regional parties is in tatters.

Anticipating a hung parliament, the TRS was gearing itself to play the role of a "kingmaker" along with parties not aligned with the Congress and the BJP. But his ambition of national politics is still intact as he has initiated the formation of a federal front with regional parties not aligned with the grand old party and BJP.

As part of reaching out to the opposition parties, Rao had met several regional leaders, including his West Bengal and Odisha counterparts Mamata Banerjee and Naveen Patnaik respectively, DMK president M K Stalin and Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav.

“KCR will play a key role in the national politics. If everything goes well, he may become the deputy Prime Minister,” a party leader had said when KCR began his tours to meet national leaders.

However, he did not appear to have got much support, except from Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy of YSRCP.

Sources told News18 that as part his plans to enter the national politics, KCR planned to make his son KT Rama Rao the chief minister of the state and his daughter Kavita a minister in the KTR cabinet.

It was in the same hope that KT Rama Rao was not placed in the cabinet and instead made the working president of the party. KCR appointed only 11 ministers thinking KTR will appoint cabinet ministers on his own after taking the CM’s chair. Sources said KCR’s favourite leaders will be taken to New Delhi to assist him and may also be made ministers in the union cabinet. Some of the MLAs may resign and become MPs as per KCR plan of action, the sources added.

But the BJP poured cold water on KCR’s plans after it stormed back to power with a clear majority, confined regional parties to less than 100 seats. The Telangana CM now has no alternative other but to focus on state politics for the time being.

Sources said KCR likely to go for cabinet expansion on June 2, which is the formation day of Telangana. KTR is likely to get a suitable cabinet portfolio.