In all, 11 MLAs/MLCs — seven from the Telugu Desam and four from the YSRCP — will be inducted into the Andhra Pradesh Council of Ministers, at 9.22 a.m. in Secretariat and Assembly complex in Velgapudi, near here, on Sunday. Five Ministers have been dropped ahead of the Cabinet expansion.
The names were finalised after Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu held several rounds of discussions with senior party leaders and Ministers all through the evening. Five Ministers whose resignation letters were taken by Mr. Naidu are Palle Raghunath Reddy, Bojjala Gopalakrishna Reddy, Kimidi Mrinalini, Peetala Sujatha and Ravella Kishore Babu. Sources said Mr. Naidu called them, convinced and took their resignations.
In a risky decision, Mr. Naidu accommodated four YSRCP MLAs, who defected to the TDP, in the Cabinet. They are Venkata Sujaya Krishna Ranga Rao (Bobbili), Bhuma Akhila Priya (Allagadda), N. Amarnath Reddy (Palamner) and Ch. Adinarayana Reddy (Jammalamadugu). TDP leaders from Kadapa have strongly resisted the inclusion of Mr. Adinarayana Reddy. Bhuma Akhila Priya is the daughter of Bhuma Nagi Reddy, who died of a massive heart attack recently. YSRCP has been demanding disqualification of these MLAs.
The remaining seven are from Telugu Desam and they include Mr. Chandrababu Naidu’s son and TDP’s national general secretary Nara Lokesh (MLC, Chittoor district), Kala Venkata Rao (TDP party president, Srikakulam), Somireddy Chandramohan Reddy (MLC, Nellore), Nakka Anandbabu (Guntur), Kothapalli Samuel Jawahar (West Godavari) and Kaluva Srinivasulu (Anantapur). Discussions were still on taking a legislator from the minority community.
Realising that the Cabinet expansion/reshuffle is likely to result in heart burn among senior leaders, Mr. Naidu is on the mission of pacifying them.
Earlier in the day, anxiety and tension prevailed among the aspirants hoping to get into the Cabinet and Ministers who are likely to be dropped, as they made their last ditch efforts to win the confidence of party supremo and Chief Minister.
Hectic lobbying was witnessed as the aspirants made a beeline for Mr. Naidu’s residence. Ministers Bojjala Gopalakrishna Reddy and Kimidi Mrinalini met Mr. Naidu to present their case.
Hindupur MLA and Chief Minister’s brother-in-law Nandamuri Balakrishna too met Mr. Naidu and is believed to have suggested a name or two from Anantapur district. Anantapur MP, J.C. Diwakar Reddy is learnt to have lobbied for inclusion of MLC from the district Payyavula Keshav. He later told mediapersons that the Chief Minister was not revealing his plans and that he was merely listening to leaders who were meeting him.
Published - April 02, 2017 08:46 am IST
