Slowly but surely, the former PCC Chief D Srinivas is emerging as a front runner for the post of Chief Minister of the imminent Telangana state.
Srinivas, who is now a member of the Legislative Council, enjoys enormous clout with the Congress high command and a personal rapport with the party president Sonia Gandhi.
Unlike other high-profile and aggressive senior party leaders from Telangana who are in the race for Chief Minister's post, Srinivas is a silent and smooth operator.
Not many people in the party know that Sonia Gandhi values the opinion and advice of Srinivas more than anybody else from Telangana.
Before taking all major decisions, Srinivas was consulted by the high command and he generally has a green channel to 10, Janpath unlike other leaders who have to wait for days together for an appointment with the party chief.
Known for his loyalty, leadership abilities and negotiation skills, Srinivas is a favoured candidate for the Delhi bosses.
Added to his qualities is the Backward Class tag which is working in his favour. Srinivas has been cleverly using the BC card to enhance his chances for the coveted post.
Recently, he organised a meeting of the BC Sarpanches of his home district of Nizamabad and spoke about the need for political power for the BCs.
There is a growing feeling in the party that a BC leader should be made the first CM of Telangana to end the domination of the two influential communities in the region--Reddy and Velama.
