Hyderabad: The Telangana government has accorded Minister of State rank to Government Whips Addanki Dayakar and Balmoor Venkat, both Members of the Legislative Council.
The two MLCs were appointed as Government Whips of the Telangana Legislative Council with effect from March 18, 2026. Following this appointment, the government has now conferred on them the status of Minister of State, placing them under Article 18 of the State Warrant of Precedence.
According to a government order, this status is personal to Dayakar and Venkat for the duration of their term as Government Whips, and no formal amendment will be made to the State Table of Warrant of Precedence.
All departments of the Secretariat, Heads of Departments, Collectors and District Magistrates, Commissioners of Police and Superintendents of Police have been asked to extend the necessary protocol and courtesies accordingly.
Addanki Dayakar is a senior Congress leader who serves as TPCC General Secretary. He was elected to the Legislative Council under the MLAs’ quota in March 2025, having earlier missed out on an MLC ticket during the January 2024 bypoll. He was given charge of the Sircilla segment as part of the party’s grassroots strategy ahead of the February 2026 municipal elections, and has been a vocal presence in the Council on issues ranging from Kaleshwaram debt to Hyderabad Metro expansion.
Balmoor Venkat Narsing Rao, a medical doctor by training, is TPCC Vice President and former State President of the NSUI, Congress’s student wing. He began his political career through NSUI-led agitations against the previous BRS government, was jailed multiple times during those protests, and unsuccessfully contested the 2021 Huzurabad bypoll before being elected unopposed as MLC in January 2024. He has since been a frequent Congress voice countering BRS and BJP criticism of the state government.
This post was last modified on July 15, 2026 2:15 pm