VIJAYAWADA: Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy is likely to go for a rejig of his Cabinet soon. According to sources, the Cabinet reshuffle may happen before Dasara (October 15) or at the most by Diwali, which falls in the first week of November. Jagan, who took over the reins of the State in May, 2019, had said at the time that he would go for a reshuffle of his Cabinet halfway through his five-year tenure, and give a chance to others for the remaining term.
As his tenure is nearing the halfway mark, the reshuffle could happen, which may see the exit of a majority of ministers, barring a few seniors like Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy, Botcha Satyanarayana, Buggana Rajendranath and his loyalist Kodali Sri Venkateswara Rao (Nani), sources said. Though Energy Minister Balineni Srinivasa Reddy, speaking at a political programme in Ongole on Saturday, hinted that there would be a complete reshuffle (removal of all the serving Ministers), sources said Jagan may not repeat what the BJP did in Gujarat. “As per the policy decision taken by the party leadership, there would be a 100 per cent rejig. I am not concerned of losing my ministerial post.
For me, party is important,’’ he said. Sources, however, said a complete overhaul was unlikely. “The move is just to mentally prepare all the ministers in the present Cabinet to be ready for their exit,’’ they added. At present, the Cabinet has four Ministers each from Kapu and Reddy communities, one each from Kshatriya, Vysya and Kamma communities, besides a Muslim, in the Cabinet.
For a rejig, Jagan has to consider various factors, keeping in mind that he has to face the next polls with the new set of ministers, political analysts opined. Meanwhile, several aspirants are waiting anxiously, hoping to get a Cabinet berth. They include Mangalagiri MLA Alla Ramakrishna Reddy, who defeated TDP’s Nara Lokesh, Ananta Venkataram Reddy from Anantapur, Kakani Goverdhan Reddy from Nellore and many others.