CM Jagan inducts new Cabinet: Here’s a list of Andhra ministers who took oath

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Monday, April 11, reconstituted the state Cabinet, inducting 13 new faces and re-inducting 11 from his first team. Veteran legislator Dharmana Prasada Rao has also been taken into the Cabinet, making him the seniormost minister. 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 Amaravati.

On expected lines, nobody from the Legislative Council was taken into the Cabinet. The fresh Council of Ministers has been constituted on caste and community lines, with the lion's share of 10 berths going to backward classes. Two, including the Chief Minister, are from the minority communities, five from the Scheduled Castes and one from the Scheduled Tribes. Four ministers each from the Reddy and the Kapu communities have also been inducted.

The Cabinet has four women members, one up from the previous one. Kamma, Kshatriya and Arya Vysya communities that had one representative each in the previous Cabinet were now completely left out. The Brahmin community was denied a Cabinet berth yet again. Of the total 26 districts in the state, at least seven did not find any representation in the new Cabinet. The ruling YSR Congress described it as a social Cabinet, with 68% representation of the BC, SC, ST and minority communities.

When he formed his first Cabinet in June 2019, the CM had announced that he would undertake a revamp after two and a half years (December 2021) and bring in 90%new faces, retaining only 10% (3 members). By that count, only two ministers, apart from the Chief Minister, were to be retained but Jagan, however, brought back 11 from the previous Cabinet, who were made to resign on April 7.

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, Peddireddi Ramachandra Reddy, Pinipe Viswaroop, Audimulapu Suresh and Buggana Rajendranath also secured a fresh berth. Seediri Appala Raju, Chelluboyina Venugopala Krishna, Gummanur Jayaram and Taneti Vanita got a second chance. 

Former film star RK Roja, serving her second term as an MLA, finally made it to the Cabinet. Another senior leader Ambati Rambabu, who missed the bus in 2019, also managed it this time. Gudivada Amarnath, Peedika Rajanna Dora, Budi Mutyala Naidu, Dadisetti Raja, Karumuri Venkata Nageswara Rao, Kottu Satyanarayana, Jogi Ramesh, Vidadala Rajani, Merugu Nagarjuna, Kakani Govardhan Reddy and Ushasri Charan were the others who became new ministers.

Leaders from communities who were left out of the Cabinet are being compensated with other important posts, YSRCP General Secretary and Government Advisor (Public Affairs) Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy said. Kolagatla Veerabhadra Swamy from the Arya Vysya community will be appointed as Deputy Speaker; Mudunuri Naga Raja Vara Prasad Raju of the Raju community will be appointed as Government Chief Whip, Kodali Nani from the Kamma community will be nominated as Chairman of Andhra Pradesh State Development Board (APSDB), and Malladi Vishnu from Brahmin community will also be appointed to a post in the Andhra Pradesh State Planning Board, Sajjala said. (PTI)