Andhra CM Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy Effects A Major Cabinet Overhaul, 13 New Ministers Including Actress Roja Inducted

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy on Monday reconstituted the state Cabinet, inducting 13 new faces and re-inducting 11 from his first team.

Governor Biswa Bhusan Harichandan administered the oath of office and secrecy to 25 members of the Cabinet at a public function near the state Secretariat in capital city Amaravati.

On Apr 7, all 24 Ministers of the previous state cabinet tendered their resignations to CM Jagan Mohan Reddy paving the way for the long-awaited Cabinet reshuffle.

CM Jagan Mohan Reddy had declared in July 2019 that he would reshuffle his Cabinet halfway through his five-year term by bringing-in 90 per cent new faces. However the Cabinet reshuffle (that should have happened in December as per CM's declaration) was delayed by the COVID pandemic and several other factors.

11 members of the previous cabinet were retained.

Amzath Basha Shaik Bepari and K Narayana Swamy, who served as Deputy Chief Ministers in the previous Cabinet, have been re-inducted.

Seniors like Botsa Satyanarayana, P R C Reddy, P Viswaroop, A Suresh and Buggana Rajendranath also secured a fresh berth.

S Appala Raju, Ch Venugopala Krishna, G Jayaram and T Vanita got a second chance, owing to caste considerations.

Film star R K Roja, serving her second term as an MLA from Nagari constituency, finally made it to the Cabinet. Another senior YSRC party legislator Ambati Rambabu, who missed the bus in 2019, also managed it this time.

Of the total 26 districts in the state, at least seven did not find any representation in the new Cabinet.

On Apr 4, Andhra Pradesh reorganised its districts map, doubling the number to 26 following the inauguration of the new districts. Prior to the formation of the new districts Andhra Pradesh, which has a population of nearly 5 crores, had one district for every 38.15 lakh people. Now, with the State having 26 districts, there would be 19.7 lakh people per district.

In the fresh Council of Ministers, the lion’s share of 10 berths went to to backward classes.

Two, including the Chief Minister and one Deputy Chief Minister, are from the minority communities, five from the Scheduled Castes and one from the Scheduled Tribes.

Four each from the Reddy and the Kapu communities have also been inducted.

The Cabinet has four women members, one up from the previous.

Kamma, Kshatriya and Vysya communities that had one representative each in the previous Cabinet were now completely left out.

(With inputs from PTI)