VIJAYAWADA: Sticking with to his old formula, Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has chosen five deputy chief ministers and a woman as home minister in his new team. The deputy chief ministers represent SC, ST, BC, Minority and Kapu communities. Taneti Vanitha, who was the Minister for Women and Child Welfare in the previous Cabinet, was given the Home portfolio. This time, too, Jagan has chosen a woman from the scheduled caste community for the post. Of the 25 ministers, one is a doctor, two are engineers, and three are PhD holders. Five post-graduates and nine graduates, too, are in the Cabinet.
Of the 11 re-inducted ministers, five— Buggana Rajendranath (Finance and Legislative Affairs), G Jayaram (Labour), Amzath Basha Shaik Bepari (Minority Welfare), Seediri Appalaraju (Animal Husbandry) and K Narayana Swamy (Excise) will continue to hold their respective portfolios. Besides Amzath Basha and Narayana Swamy, who have been retained as deputy chief ministers, P Rajanna Dora, B Mutyala Naidu and K Satyanarayana, belonging to SC, ST and BC communities, have been made the new deputies to the chief minister.
In a significant change, Pedireddy Ramachandra Reddy, who had held the Panchayat Raj and Rural Development portfolio, replaced Balineni Srinivas Rao to hold the Energy, Forest, Science and Technology portfolio. Education and Municipal Administration and Urban Development ministers have been swapped. Former Education Minister Audimulapu Suresh is now MAUD minister and former MAUD minister Botcha Satyanarayana is now Education Minister.
Senior leader Dharmana Prasada Rao will hold Revenue, Registration and Stamps portfolio - the same he had held in the late chief minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy’s cabinet. Prasada Rao, a five-time MLA from Srikakulam district, has been given the key post in view of the precarious financial situation of the State and the need to rejuvenate the revenue generating departments. Incidentally, Prasada Rao’s brother, Krishna Das, held the same portfolio in Jagan’s previous Cabinet.
Notable allocations included that of Ambati Rambabu (Water Resources) and Nagari MLA RK Roja (Tourism and Culture). A first-time MLA, Vidadala Rajini was given the crucial medical and health department. Another first-timer, Gudivada Amarnath, is the new IT and Industries Minister, a post that was held by departed leader Mekapati Goutham Reddy.
Governor Biswa Bhusan Harichandan administered the oath of office and secrecy at the Secretariat in Velagapudi on Monday. Almost all former ministers, barring Balineni Srinivasa Reddy, and MLAs took part in the ceremony. Home minister Taneti Vanitha said her experience as the women and child welfare minister would come in handy while tackling crimes against women and children as the new Home Minister.
Former minister Perni Venkataramaiah (Nani) maintained that they were not disappointed for being dropped from the Cabinet and that they would continue to work under the leadership of Jagan. “Priority was given to BCs. Everyone cannot be accommodated in the cabinet,’’ he said.Dismissing the claims of YSRC that BCs were given priority, TDP AP chief K Atchannaidu said Jagan made only 10 BCs, ministers although his party won 151 MLA seats.