HYDERABAD: High secrecy surrounds Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy’s Cabinet, notwithstanding feverish speculation over who’s going to be in and out.
Not just its composition, its size too remains a mystery.
It may be limited to 16 as indications are that Kiran Kumar Reddy is likely to go in for an expansion at a later date.
Sources told Express that the chief minister was still working on the final list even as late as Tuesday night, hinting that the Cabinet could be smaller than even 16. He is scheduled to submit the list of his Cabinet at 5 a.m on Wednesday to Governor ESL Narasimhan.The chief minister, who reportedly toyed with the idea of making a quick visit to Delhi for consultations, decided against it due to time constraint.
The Cabinet swearing- in is scheduled to take place at the Raj Bhavan at 10.14 a.m. on Wednesday.
Though he wanted to have a 30-member Cabinet, the number had been brought down drastically in the wake of former MP YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s revolt, sources said. It appears that Damodar Rajanarasimha (Andhole, Medak) will be the deputy chief minister. Though J Geeta Reddy (Zaheerabad, Medak) was tipped for the Speaker’s post, she may be inducted into the Cabinet since she is unwilling to take up the assignment.
Conducting the business in the House would be dicey for Geeta Reddy in view of the Telangana issue.
Kiran Kumar Reddy will arrive at the Secretariat at 9.30 a.m. and enter his chambers at 9.52 a.m. After signing three files, he will immediately leave for the Raj Bhavan to be present for the swearing-in ceremony of his new Cabinet.
The files relate to sanction of Rs 140 crore for Arogya Sri and Rs 95 crore for construction of new buildings for primary health centres. The third file pertains to payment of incentives for Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) also known as health workers.
Tuesday was a busy day for the chief minister as he kept meeting MLAs and former ministers. The visitors reportedly pleaded with him to include them in his Cabinet but Kiran Kumar Reddy is understood to have told them that the party high command’s word was final and that he had a very limited role in it.
Sources said the size had been kept small to ensure enough elbow room for the chief minister to deal with possible discontent among party leaders after the Cabinet formation. If Cabinet berths remain vacant, the hope of getting in one day may contain dissidence.