Politics, as every seasoned observer knows, is rarely about what is said in public and almost always about what is whispered in private. The theatre of Indian federal politics is particularly unforgiving, where symbolism often matters more than statements and timing can be more lethal than intent. Against this backdrop, a seemingly routine development in Telangana last week—two state ministers reportedly meeting Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka while Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy was abroad—has set off a ripple of speculation far beyond Hyderabad’s corridors of power.
Revanth Reddy is currently in the United States, attending a week-long executive education program at Harvard Kennedy School titled “Leadership in the 21st Century.” Officially, the meeting was dismissed as administrative and routine. Bhatti Vikramarka himself brushed aside any political interpretation, insisting there was nothing extraordinary about ministers conferring with the deputy Chief minister in the Chief Minister’s absence.
Yet, for students of the Congress party’s internal culture, such explanations rarely close the chapter. The party’s long history of leadership changes engineered from New Delhi—often with little warning and less sentiment—has taught political analysts to read between the lines rather than the press notes. After all, this is a party where, within a single five-year term in the past, as many as four chief ministers have been replaced in erstwhile undivided Andhra Pradesh, driven by factional pressures, caste arithmetic, and shifting political calculations at the national level.
To understand why Telangana’s developments are being viewed with such unease, one only has to look south-west, to neighbouring Karnataka.
The Karnataka Template
Karnataka’s Congress government, formed after the party’s resounding victory in the 2024 Assembly elections, was born with an unresolved question at its heart: who truly held the reins of power? D.K. Shivakumar, widely credited with rebuilding the party’s grassroots network and spearheading the campaign, was seen by many as the natural Chief Ministerial candidate. Yet, it was Siddaramaiah—senior, seasoned, and twice a former Chief Minister—who was ultimately chosen by the party high command.
What followed was an uneasy truce, reportedly based on a “power-sharing” understanding. While never formalized on paper, the widely circulated belief was that Siddaramaiah would complete the first half of the term and then hand over the baton to Shivakumar. As the midpoint of the government’s tenure approaches, the political temperature in Bengaluru has risen. Supporters of Shivakumar insist that their leader’s “sacrifice” must be honoured. Siddaramaiah’s camp, on the other hand, shows little appetite for stepping aside.
The result is a state government caught in a prolonged game of political chess, with the party high command accused by critics of playing a “cat and mouse” role—neither confirming nor denying any leadership transition, thereby keeping both factions on edge and firmly dependent on Delhi’s final word.
It is this very pattern that many now fear could be replayed in Telangana.
The Revanth Reddy Phenomenon
The Congress victory in Telangana in late 2023 was, by any measure, dramatic. The party returned to power after a decade, dislodging the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) led by K. Chandrasekhar Rao, a formidable regional leader who had dominated the state’s politics since its formation in 2014.
At the center of this turnaround was A. Revanth Reddy—a politician whose journey has been anything but conventional. He began his political career in the student wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh-affiliated ABVP, later rose through the ranks of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), and spent nearly two decades in that fold. He is also known for his involvement in the ‘cash for vote scam’ during MLC posts while he was in TDP, and the case is pending for disposal. His switch to Congress ahead of the 2023 elections was widely seen as a calculated gamble—one that ultimately paid off, both for the party and for himself.
As Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) chief, Revanth Reddy led an aggressive, high-decibel campaign that targeted the perceived complacency of the BRS government. The Congress high command’s decision to back him as the face of the campaign—and later as Chief Minister—was a clear departure from its traditional preference for seniority and internal hierarchy.
At 45, Revanth Reddy became one of the youngest Chief Ministers in the country, leapfrogging several veterans within his party. For leaders who had spent decades battling first the TDP and then the BRS, the decision was bound to sting.
The Bhatti Factor
Among those often mentioned in succession debates is Bhatti Vikramarka, the deputy Chief minister and a senior Dalit leader from Khammam. His political pedigree, administrative experience, and social background make him a significant figure in the Congress’s broader strategy of balancing caste and regional representation.
In Telangana, where Reddys form a relatively small proportion of the population, the party has historically been cautious about concentrating top executive power within a single dominant caste group. The decision to appoint Bhatti Vikramarka as Deputy Chief Minister was widely interpreted as an attempt to signal inclusivity and maintain internal equilibrium.
But politics, especially within a party as faction-ridden as the Congress, is rarely static. Ambition does not vanish with appointment; it merely adapts. Bhatti Vikramarka, like many senior leaders before him, is believed to harbour aspirations for the top post. In that context, any political meeting—routine or otherwise—inevitably becomes fodder for speculation.
Echoes from the Past
Telangana’s political history offers ample precedent for sudden and dramatic leadership changes. During the undivided Andhra Pradesh era, Congress governments saw frequent reshuffles, often driven by caste coalitions, regional pressures, and high command interventions. Leaders such as Marri Chenna Reddy, despite strong public profiles, found themselves replaced by relatively lesser-known figures like T. Anjaiah, Bhavanam Venkatarami Reddy, and others, largely due to internal revolts and shifting loyalties within the party.
These historical memories loom large over current developments. For many analysts, the question is not whether a leadership challenge will emerge in Telangana, but when—and from where.
The High Command’s Shadow
What ties Karnataka and Telangana together are the enduring influence of the Congress high command. Despite decades of decentralization rhetoric, the final word on leadership in Congress-ruled states often rests with the party’s national leadership. This centralization has, in the past, been both a strength and a liability—allowing for quick political course correction, but also breeding resentment among state leaders who feel sidelined.
Critics argue that the party’s current leadership has yet to fully reconcile itself with the lessons of history: that prolonged internal uncertainty can weaken governments, distract from governance, and offer political opponents an opening.
A Nervous Calm
For now, Telangana remains in a state of uneasy calm. Revanth Reddy continues to project confidence, his supporters crediting him with both electoral success and administrative assertiveness. Bhatti Vikramarka maintains a public posture of loyalty and routine governance. Other senior leaders, such as Uttam Kumar Reddy, the Major Irrigation Minister and a former TPCC chief, tread carefully, aware that overt factionalism could invite disciplinary action from Delhi.
Yet, beneath the surface, the currents are unmistakable.
As the Congress grapples with leadership questions in Karnataka and navigates the complexities of governing in Telangana, one broader issue comes into focus: can the party manage its internal democracy without destabilizing its own governments?
For political watchers, the fear is not merely of a change of guard, but of a pattern—a recurring cycle where ambition, central control, and factional rivalry combine to erode the very mandate voters have given.
In the coming months, as Karnataka approaches its perceived halfway mark and Telangana settles into its second year of governance, the Congress’s southern bastions may well become the testing ground for whether the party can finally break free from its old scripts—or whether history, once again, will insist on repeating itself.
Perfectly analysed. Congress seems to survive with a streak of luck here and there but overall, the behemoth refuses to budge because it has put BJP and Modi in particular on a TINA pedestal. Unless, Congress sheds the Gandhi family skin, the party will go down the hill. If it confines Gandhis to vote- generation and nothing beyond that, it has a hope of getting out of the ICU where it is grappling right now politically. There are capable leaders in the party who can challenge TINA of other parties. As of now, no such hope is seen.