Hyderabad, Aug 2026 : The All India Congress Committee (AICC) has appointed Naveen Pettem as the chairperson of the Social Media Department of the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC), marking a key organisational change aimed at strengthening the party’s digital outreach in the state.
AICC General Secretary K. C. Venugopal said Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has approved the appointment of the state chairperson, convenors, coordinators and co-coordinators for the TPCC Social Media Department.
Pettem, who previously served as the department’s coordinator, will now lead the social media wing. He is also a member of the Telangana State Transport Authority. His elevation comes as political parties increasingly focus on digital platforms to communicate government initiatives, respond to opposition criticism and engage directly with voters.
K. Ujwal Reddy and P. Vamshi Krishna have been appointed as convenors of the Social Media Department. Ambala Sive Kumar, Vishnu Vardhan Reddy, Veerapuram Ram Laxman, Geetha Ainala, MD Abid Ali and Susheel Kumar have been named as coordinators.
The AICC has also appointed M. Bhargav Naidu, S. N. Dinesh and Fareeduddin as co-coordinators.
Alongside the social media appointments, the Congress leadership has approved Chamala Kiran Kumar Reddy as the state chairperson of the TPCC Media and Publicity Department. Kiran Kumar Reddy is the Congress Member of Parliament from Bhongir.
Following his appointment, Kiran Kumar Reddy expressed gratitude to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, senior party leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, AICC General Secretary K. C. Venugopal and other leaders for entrusting him with the responsibility.
He said he would work closely with the TPCC leadership to effectively communicate the government's performance, highlight the party's commitments and strengthen the Congress voice across Telangana.
However, the reshuffle also triggered an immediate development within the social media team. Geetha Ainala, who was named among the coordinators, declined to accept the new responsibility.
Ainala, who currently serves as the state convenor of TPCC Media and Communications, thanked the party leadership for the appointment but said she would not be accepting it. She also requested Naveen Pettem to remove her name from the list of coordinators. She did not immediately disclose the reason for her decision.
The appointments come at a time when the Congress government in Telangana is seeking to strengthen its communication strategy and expand its presence across social media platforms. The party is expected to use the reorganised media and digital teams to highlight its governance initiatives and counter criticism from political opponents.
Meanwhile, supporters of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) have criticised the Congress over Pettem's appointment, adding a political dimension to the organisational changes.
The new appointments are expected to bring greater coordination between the Congress's media, publicity and social media wings as the party prepares for an increasingly digital-driven political environment in Telangana.
