On the eve of Bathukamma, one of Telangana's most beloved floral festivals, Union Coal and Mines Minister G. Kishan Reddy has extended a warm public invitation to all women of the state to join celebrations at Amberpet Municipal Ground, Hyderabad, on October 17, 2026, at 5:30 PM.

Posting in Telugu on October 16, 2026, the Minister — who also serves as BJP Telangana state president — urged women in large numbers to attend and make the event a success. His post reads: 'On the occasion of Bathukamma festival, all sister women are cordially invited to the Bathukamma celebrations to be held at Amberpet Ground at 5:30 PM on the 17th of this month.'

A 70-foot floral tower at Amberpet Ground

The centrepiece of the event, according to the post, will be a 70-foot-tall Bathukamma being specially assembled at the Amberpet Municipal Ground. Bathukamma — literally 'come alive, mother goddess' — is a centuries-old Telangana tradition in which women stack seasonal wildflowers like gunugu and tangedu into towering conical arrangements, sing folk songs around them, and later immerse the structures in water bodies.

The festival is one of the two defining cultural celebrations of Telangana, drawing mass female participation across urban and rural areas each year during the Navratri period.

Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla and First Lady as chief guests

Telangana Governor Shri Shiv Pratap Shukla and Smt. Janaki Shukla, the state's First Lady, are named in the invitation as chief guests for the occasion. The Governor's presence as a constitutional figurehead lends the event a ceremonial weight that cuts across party lines — governors in Telangana have routinely attended Bathukamma gatherings as a mark of respect for the state's cultural identity.

The pairing of a central minister and the Raj Bhavan at a single public cultural event is a familiar choreography during Telangana's festival calendar, but the scale suggested — a 70-foot floral structure, an open-air municipal ground — signals an event sized for the community rather than just the official dais.

Kishan Reddy's dual role — minister and party chief — on display

The invitation is issued by Kishan Reddy wearing both hats simultaneously: as a senior Union Cabinet minister and as the BJP's top organisational figure in Telangana. Cultural outreach through festivals is a standard page in the BJP's Telangana playbook, and Bathukamma — deeply rooted in Telangana's distinct identity — is a symbolically important stage to occupy for any political party seeking to deepen its foothold in the state.

The event is open to all women, and the Minister's call for 'large-scale' participation frames it squarely as a community celebration above any partisan framing.

Come evening on October 17, the flowers will do the talking — and tens of thousands of women at Amberpet will decide how loud.