Long list of aspirants for Cabinet berths from Godavari districts

Rajamahendravaram : The NDA alliance winners in East Godavari district have begun efforts at whatever level they can to get a berth in the state Cabinet.

The alliance clean swept East Godavari, Kakinada, Konaseema, West Godavari and Eluru districts by winning a total of 35 Assembly seats and five MP seats.

BJP circles are certain that party state chief and Rajahmundry MP Daggubati Purandeswari will get a place in the Union Cabinet. She served earlier as a Union minister in the UPA government. Observers say that the BJP will give her a seat in the Central cabinet as part of the route map to strengthen the party further in the state.

Jana Sena president Pawan Kalyan won from Pithapuram. NDA sources say that it is certain that he will be in the state Cabinet as a minister or deputy chief minister, if he chooses to.

Peddapuram TDP MLA Nimmakayala Chinarajappa, Jaggampeta TDP MLA Jyothula Nehru, Nidadavolu Jana Sena MLA Kandula Durgesh and Tadepalligudem Jana Sena MLA Bilisetti Srinivas are aspiring the Cabinet posts from Kapu caste.

Chinarajappa was the deputy chief minister from East Godavari district in the previous TDP government. Naturally, he hopes for the cabinet post. Nehru is trying hard for the ministry. Kandula Durgesh is the president of the joint East Godavari district Jana Sena and a member of its political affairs committee (PAC). He also has previous experience serving as an MLC.

Also, Jana Sena MLA Bolisetti Srinivas, who defeated state minister Kottu Satyanarayana in Tadepalligudem, is trying for a seat in the Cabinet. If Pawan joins the Cabinet, the question arises whether there will be a chance for another Kapu MLA.

Pithani Satyanarayana, who won from Achanta in the current election, also served as a minister in the previous TDP government. Both of them are making strong efforts for a position in the Cabinet this time.

Rajahmundry Rural MLA Gorantla Butchaiah Chowdary’s name is making rounds among the possible picks for state Cabinet. His followers are confident that Chowdary, a senior leader, former minister and TDP politburo member who contested seven of 10 times he contested, will get the minister post this time. There is also a strong speculation that there is a possibility of selecting Chowdary as Speaker because of his vast experience.

Sources say Gopalapuram MLA Maddipati Venkataraju may get a chance in SC quota. He defeated Taneti Vanita who was the home minister in the previous government.

Anaparthi BJP MLA Nallamilli Ramakrishna Reddy is also making efforts to get a slot in the Cabinet under Reddy quota. But TDP sources say that his name will not be considered here if Purandeswari is given a position in the Union Cabinet. The name of TDP MLA K Raghurama Krishna Raju from Undi in West Godavari district is among the aspirants.