Hyderabad, June 9, 2024 – In a significant political development, two BJP Lok Sabha MPs from Telangana were inducted into the Union Council of Ministers at a ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on Sunday. G. Kishan Reddy retained his place in the Cabinet, while Bandi Sanjay Kumar was inducted into the Union ministry for the first time as a Minister of State (MoS).
While Kishan Reddy’s retention was anticipated, the second spot saw competition, with Bandi Sanjay Kumar, representing the backward Munnuru Kapu community, making the cut. Both leaders have a background with the RSS and have served as BJP state chiefs.
Bandi Sanjay’s tenure as Telangana BJP president was marked by significant party expansion in the state. His removal from the post in July 2023 is believed to have adversely affected the party’s performance in the Assembly polls later that year. Subsequently, he was appointed as BJP national general secretary and has now been elevated to the Union ministry. With Kishan Reddy back in the Cabinet, BJP is expected to appoint Eatala Rajender as the new state unit chief soon.
Kishan Reddy expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP national president J.P. Nadda for selecting two members from Telangana for the Union Cabinet. Speaking to reporters, the Secunderabad MP highlighted the BJP’s achievement of securing its highest-ever tally of eight seats in Telangana in the recent Lok Sabha elections, with a vote share exceeding 35%, achieved without any alliances.
Reddy emphasized the need for the party cadre to work harder to secure power in Telangana, pledging to focus on the development of Telugu states, especially Telangana, under Modi’s leadership.
Bandi Sanjay, after taking his oath, thanked Modi and the BJP leadership for their confidence in him. He vowed to use his ministerial position to advance the state’s progress and specifically the development of his Karimnagar constituency. Sanjay called for a cessation of personal accusations and criticisms, urging politics to be confined to election times.
As a new Union minister, Sanjay affirmed his commitment to fully support the development initiatives in Telangana.
