New AP Cabinet, an assortment of castes

Gannavaram : Seventeen fresher MLAs of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) including the TDP, the Jana Sena and the BJP found place in the Council of Ministers of Andhra Pradesh.

Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu selected the 17 MLAs who do not have any experience in ministerial positions for his Cabinet.

The Cabinet is like an assortment of castes. Dr Dola Bala Veeranjaneya Swamy (SC Mala), Anita (SC Madiga), Gummadi Sandhya Rani (ST), TG Bharath (Vysya), BC Janardhana Reddy and Ramprasad Reddy (Reddy), Nimmala Ramanaidu, Kandula Durgesh, Pawan Kalyan, (Kapu), Nadendla Manohar, Payyavula Keshav and Gottipati Ravi Kumar (Kamma), Satya Kumar (Yadava), K Srinivas (Turpu Kapu), Anagani Satya Prasad (Gowda), Vasamsetty Subhash (Settibalija) and S Savita (Kuruba) were taken into the Cabinet.

Nadendla Manohar served as Speaker in the erstwhile Congress government in the combined Andhra Pradesh. Payyavula Keshav is also one of the senior most members of the Assembly but he became the Cabinet minister for the first time.

Several MLAs received placement with an element of surprise in Chandrababu Naidu’s Cabinet without expectations. Gummadi Sandhya Rani (ST), TG Bharath (Vysya), BC Janardhana Reddy, Ramprasad Reddy (Reddy), Vasamsetty Subhash (Settibalija), Savita (Kuruba) and Kandula Durgesh (Kapu) were surprised over their inclusion in the Cabinet positions.

Indeed, several senior leaders like Kuna Ravi Kumar, Kala Venkata Rao, Palla Srinivasa Rao, Gorantla Butchaiah Chowdary, Chintakayala Ayyanna Patrudu, Raghu Ramakrishnam Raju, Y Sujana Chowdary, Kanna Lakshminaryana, Somireddy Chandramohan Reddy and A Madhavi Reddy are aspirants for ministerial positions.

Interestingly, the BJP has taken only one Cabinet berth. Still, there is space for inducting one more MLA from the NDA parties, especially the BJP.

Besides, leaders like Kolusu Paradhasaradhi, Vasamsetty Subhash and Anam Ramnarayana Reddy who switched allegiance to the TDP from YSR Congress got minister berths in the Cabinet. Paradhasardhi’s inclusion surprised the cadre in Krishna district. He joined the TDP a few days before the election process began.

The TDP cadre wished Gorantla to become a Cabinet minister but he lost the chance under caste combinations.

Anam Ramnarayana Reddy has a strong political background but Somireddy is a senior leader and he fought against the YSR Congress in Nellore district. Now it is a million dollar question who would get the post of Speaker. Anyway, the senior most member of Assembly Gorantla Butchaiah Chowdary would be pro-tem speaker for the inaugural session.