Ending over two months of speculation, KCR to expand Telangana cabinet on February 19

Hyderabad: Ending over two months of speculation, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has decided to expand his two-member cabinet on February 19, said an official note from his office Friday.

After his party's spectacular victory in the December 7 assembly elections, Chandrasekhar Rao took over as Chief Minister for a second term on December 13. Mohammad Mehmood Ali was the only minister to take an oath of office along with him.

"Honourable Chief Minister Sri K Chandrashekhar Rao decided to expand the State Cabinet on 19th February 2019. The Chief Minister after meeting the Governor E S L Narasimhan on Friday afternoon at Raj Bhavan conveyed his decision to expand the Cabinet," it said.

February 19 being "Magha Shuddha Pournami" an auspicious day as per the Telugu calendar, the Chief Minister decided to expand the cabinet and have the swearing-in ceremony at 11.30 in the morning on that day. Necessary instructions have been issued to officials concerned to make arrangements for the swearing-in ceremony of new the new ministers, the note said.

Opposition parties in the state attacked KCR over the delay in forming a "full cabinet". Telangana can have a maximum of 17 ministers as per the constitutional cap of 15 per cent of the assembly strength of 119 members.