Maheshwar Reddy named BJP floor leader in Telangana Assembly

Hyderabad, Feb 14: After much dilly-dallying, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has named A. Maheshwar Reddy as its floor leader in Telangana Assembly.

More than two months after the Assembly elections, state BJP chief G. Kishan Reddy on Wednesday appointed the MLA from Nirmal constituency as the leader of BJP Legislature Party.

In a letter to the Speaker, Kishan Reddy informed him about the appointment of Maheshwar Reddy as BJP-LP leader.

Maheshwar Reddy had quit Congress to join BJP in April last year. He was then holding the post of AICC programmes implementation committee chairman.

The state BJP chief also named Adilabad MLA Payal Shankar and Kamareddy MLA Venkata Ramana Reddy as deputy floor leaders. Rama Rao Patel, the MLA from Mudhol will be secretary.

Kishan Reddy named Sirpur MLA Palvai Harish Babu as the chief whip and Nizamabad Urban MP D. Suryanarayana Gupta as the whip. P. Rakesh Reddy, the MLA from Armoor, has been appointed as treasurer.

BJP had won eight seats in 119-member Assembly in November 30 elections.

While all the parties appointed their floor leaders in December, the BJP could not name its legislative party leader reportedly due to lack of unanimity.

Controversial MLA from Goshamahal constituency in Hyderabad, Raja Singh was seen as a major contender for the post. The three-time MLA was the only senior BJP leader to get elected on a party ticket.

Kishan Reddy also appointed A.V.N. Reddy as the floor leader of the BJP in the state Legislative Council.

He was elected to the Council from teachers' constituency of Hyderabad, Rangareddy and Mahaboobnagar.