Andhra Pradesh Cabinet: CM retains 11, inducts 14 new faces
VIJAYAWADA: Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Sunday retained 11 of the 24 ministers from his previous cabinet and inducted 14 new faces into his new team. He is likely to take every one by surprise in his allocation of portfolios, as the ministers who have been retained are unlikely to hold the same portfolios. The ministers will take oath on Monday at 11.31 am at the State Secretariat in Velgapudi.
In terms of caste and social equations, Jagan has once again prioritised SC, ST, BC and minority communities in choosing his team. The representation from these sections has increased to 70 per cent from 56 per cent in 2019. The number of SCs, STs, BCs and minorities has risen to 17 from 11.
The number of women, too, has increased from three to four. The Home portfolio is once again likely to be allocated to a woman. In the 2019 cabinet, 11 OCs were given a chance while now the same has come down to eight.
“The ministers were not chosen with an eye on elections. They were chosen in line with the party ideology and policy to give more representation to BCs, SCs, STs and minorities,’’ party general secretary Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy said, adding the new team will also have five deputy chief ministers.
Although the chief minister had indicated that only a few of his 24 cabinet colleagues would be re-inducted, 11 of them have been unexpectedly retained. Prominent among them are senior ministers Botcha Satyanarayana, Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy, Buggana Rajendranath Reddy, K Narayana Swamy and Audimulapu Suresh.
The cabinet shuffle has resulted in growing dissidence and dissatisfaction among the leaders who were dropped.
Ministers may resign over cabinet berth
Mekathoti Sucharita, Balineni Srinivas, Kurasala Kanna Babu, Samineni Udayabhanu and K Parthasarathi expressed displeasure over their exclusion. Although party leaders tried to pacify the former home minister and Balineni, separately, they refused to budge and told them they would resign as MLAs, sources said.
Dissatisfaction among some leaders quite visible
Mekathoti Sucharita, Balineni Srinivas, Kurasala Kanna Babu, Samineni Udayabhanu and K Parthasarathi expressed displeasure over their exclusion. MP Mopidevi Venkataramana Rao rushed to Sucharita’s house late in the night and tried to pacify her. The former Home minister did not relent and reportedly submitted her resignation to the MP for handing it over to the party. She has reportedly clarified that she will remain in the party. Balineni Srinivasa Reddy also expressed his resentment and made his intention clear to resign as an MLA, sources said.
Party leaders Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy and G Srikanth Reddy held talks with Balineni and tried to pacify him. However, he refused to budge and told them he would resign as MLA, sources said.
Another senior leader and three-time MLA Kotamreddy Sridhar Reddy broke into tears for not finding his name in Jagan’s team. “I am unhappy and sad over not being included in the cabinet,” he said but quickly added that he would sail along with Jagan.
The public resentment by the supporters of Sucharita has come as a surprise. There were even murmurs as to whether Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has the stranglehold, as is believed, on the party. While caste equations played a role in retaining Audimulapu Suresh and Narayana Swamy, Buggana was chosen for his capability in handling the crucial finance portfolio. Initially, another SC M Thippeswamy was chosen instead of Audimulapu Suresh, but the latter was retained.
The decision to retain Botcha and Peddireddy was made as leadership anticipated a backlash within the party if they are left out, sources said.
Botcha, who represents Cheepurupalli constituency in Vizianagaram district and hails from Turpu Kapu community, holds the key for the party in north Andhra. The party decided to re-induct him after considering the impact of losing the vote bank.
Similarly, Chittoor strongman Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy has considerable clout in the district as well as in some segments of neighbouring Nellore and Anantapur. Sources said he opposed Nagari MLA RK Roja’s induction into the cabinet in his place and conveyed the same to the party.
Prominent faces among the newly-chosen ministers include senior leader Dharmana Prasada Rao, Vidadala Rajini, Gudivada Amarnath, and Ambati Rambabu - a known critic of Opposition leader N Chandrababu Naidu.
With Kodali Nani being excluded, the cabinet has no representation from the Kamma community. He is likely to be appointed as the head of the yet-to-be formed AP Development Board.
“We will remain faithful to the YS family. I am happy to get a berth in Jagan Mohan Reddy’s cabinet,’’ Meruga Nagarjuna, whose name figured in the Cabinet, said.
While Vysya community leader Vellampalli Srinivasa Rao was excluded, Jagan chose to give the post of deputy speaker to Vizianagaram MLA Veerabhadra Swamy from the same community, replacing Kona Raghupathi, a Brahmin.
To factor in the representation from the Brahmin community, Vijayawada Central MLA Malladi Vishnu would be elevated as deputy chairman of the planning board.
