Jagan Cabinet Rejig A Simple Affair?

[Anta Assamey]

With YSRCP president and Andhra Pradesh CM Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy finally fixing the muhurtam for reshuffle of his cabinet, speculations have begun on whether it would be a simple affair or a major exercise.

According to official sources, Jagan will take up cabinet reshuffle at 1 pm on July 22. A communication to this effect has been sent from the chief minister’s office to Raj Bhavan on Monday. The officials have been asked to make necessary arrangements for the swearing-in ceremony.

However, it is not very sure whether Jagan will confine his cabinet reshuffle to filling up of two vacant berths, necessitated by the resignation of two ministers – Pilli Subhash Chandra Bose and Mopidevi Venkata Ramana, on their election to Rajya Sabha.

But, Jagan cannot take more than two ministers into the cabinet because of the limitation of the cabinet strength. But they do not rule out the possibility of dropping a couple of more ministers and take fresh faces in their place.

If at all Jagan wants to drop any cabinet minister, then it will be a big development in the party. It is hard to speculate as who those unfortunate ministers are.

The names of home minister Mekathoti Sucharita and deputy chief minister Narayana Swamy are being heard in the media circles as those who might lose their berths.

However, party sources said the possibility of Jagan dropping any ministers is remote.

“In any case, he has announced that he will drop 80 per cent of the ministers after two and a half years. It is just a matter of less than one-and-a-half years,” sources said.

There is also a talk that Jagan might change portfolios of some ministers or give additional portfolios to some others as part of reshuffle.

As of now, the chances of Ramachandrapuram MLA Ch Venugopala Krishna and Palasa MLA Seediri Appala Raju being inducted into the cabinet are bright. The possibility of assembly speaker Tammineni Sitarama emerging as surprising choice is also not ruled out.

Meanwhile, Jagan finalised the names of minority woman leader Zakia Khanum from Rayachoti in Kadapa district and Dalit leader from East Godavari and former MP Pandula Ravindra Babu for the MLC posts to be filled up under the Governor’s quota. A communication has been sent to the Raj Bhavan in this regard.