Jagan Mohan Reddy to go for Cabinet reshuffle on April 11
Amaravati, April 5: Andhra Pradesh cabinet reshuffle is likely on April 11. The State Cabinet will meet on April 7, where Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy will inform his Cabinet colleagues about the reshuffle. He may take resignations of the ministers who are going to be dropped. He will assure them that their services will be utilised for other purposes like strengthening the party organisation.
After the Cabinet meeting, the chief mnister will meet Governor Biswabhusan Harichandan on April 8 to handover the resignations of the ministers and will also submit list of the new ministers to be inducted in the Cabinet. After receiving the approval from the Governor, new ministers will be informed about the swearing-in.
The swearing-in of the new ministers is expected take place in an open area near state secretariat on April 11. With two years to go for elections, the Chief Minister and YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) president has undertaken the exercise to give a new look to the Cabinet and tone up the organisation.
Reddy may go for a complete revamp of the Cabinet to induct leaders who have been waiting in the wings for more than two-and-a-half years. He dropped hints to this effect during a Cabinet meeting last month. The chief minister reportedly told his Cabinet colleagues that there are many aspirants for the ministerial berths. He assured them that even if they are not part of the Cabinet they will not be sidelined. He told them that if they are re-elected in the next elections, they will return to the Cabinet as ministers.
The YSRCP leader also said to have told the ministers that those not in the Cabinet should work for strengthening the party. The exercise will be aimed at giving an opportunity to those who were expecting the Cabinet berths in 2019 but could not be accommodated. At that the chief minister had tried to assuage their feelings by promising to give them a chance in the second half of the five-year term.
While a section of YSRCP leaders believe that the chief minister is likely to go for a reshuffle and retain senior cabinet colleagues, others have not ruled 100 per cent revamp. The chief minister is reportedly keen in giving a complete new look to the cabinet by drafting the sitting ministers, including seniors for the party work.
During the exercise, Jagan Mohan Reddy will also make sure that all the districts have due representation in the Cabinet. On Monday,the chief minister inaugurated 13 new districts. This has doubled the number of districts to 26. YSRCP stormed to power in 2019 with a landslide majority. The party had bagged 151 seats in the 175-member Assembly.
Jagan Mohan Reddy had formed the Cabinet with 25 ministers. In 2020, two of them Pilli Subhash Chandra Bose and R. Mopidevi Venkataramana resigned after they were elected to Rajya Sabha. They were replaced by C. S. Venugopala Krishna and Seediri Appalaraju.
Including the chief minister, the strength of the state cabinet stayed at 26, which is the maximum strength the council of ministers can maintain. However, the death of Mekapati Goutham Reddy in February caused a vacancy. Goutham Reddy, who was holding the industries, commerce and information technology portfolios, died of cardiac arrest on February 21.