Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy endorsed Rahul Gandhi as the prime ministerial candidate of the INDIA bloc for the next general elections, while expressing confidence that the Congress party would remain in power at the Centre for the next decade.

Speaking at a media conclave here, he said Rahul Gandhi’s primary objective was to strengthen and bring the Congress party to power rather than pursue personal ambitions for the prime minister’s post. However, he revealed that he himself had persuaded Rahul Gandhi to accept the leadership role during a meeting held in Hyderabad recently.

Mr. Reddy said Mr. Rahul Gandhi would be projected as the INDIA alliance’s prime ministerial face in the upcoming elections. “Congress will announce it first and then convince the INDIA bloc allies,” he said, adding that the alliance would present a common policy document before the people and seek their mandate.

Reflecting on his political career, Mr. Reddy recalled his decade-long association with the Telugu Desam Party and said N. Chandrababu Naidu continued to maintain cordial relations with him. He said it was rare in politics for leaders to maintain healthy ties after parting ways and noted that he had personally met Mr. Chandrababu Naidu in Vijayawada before leaving the TDP.

On his political roadmap, he expressed confidence that he would continue as Telangana Chief Minister until 2034 and dedicate himself entirely to the State’s development during that period. He said his goal was to ensure Telangana contributed 10% to the country’s GDP.

The Chief Minister added that after 2034 he would step aside to allow the next generation to lead Telangana but would continue serving the country in a broader capacity by sharing his experience at the national-level.