Revanth Reddy made Telangana Cong president

After months of deliberations, the Congress party has appointed Lok Sabha MP A Revanth Reddy as the new president of its Telangana unit.

Former Lok Sabha MP Madhu Yaskhi Goud has been appointed head of the campaign committee in what is seen as a balancing act. Goud was also in the race for the top post.

Former deputy chief minister Damodar Rajnarsimha will be chairman of the party’s election management committee.

Reddy’s appointment, which was on the cards for some time, had triggered factionalism in the state unit of the Congress, with senior leader V Hanumanta Rao voicing his opposition to Reddy’s name being considered.

Reddy, the MP from Malkajgiri, will be assisted by five working presidents — former minister J Geetha Reddy, former MP Anjan Kumar Yadav, MLA T Jagga Reddy, cricketer-turned-politician Mohammad Azharuddin and Mahesh Kumar Goud.

Revanth Reddy replaced N Uttam Kumar Reddy, who had resigned as state Congress president following the party’s defeat in Assembly by-elections last year.

Revanth Reddy had quit the Telugu Desam Party and joined the Congress in 2017. He is known for his fiery speeches and is seen as a firebrand leader by many in the party.