Andhra CM calls on Governor ahead of Cabinet revamp

Vijayawada, April 6:  Ahead of cabinet revamp, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on Wednesday called on Governor Biswa Bhusan Harichandan.

He is understood to have conveyed to the Governor his plans to revamp the Cabinet.

The meeting assumed significance as it comes a day before the Cabinet meeting where the Chief Minister is likely to take resignations of all the ministers to facilitate the total revamp.

During the meeting with the Governor, the Chief Minister is also believed to have requested him to administer oath of office and secrecy to new ministers on April 11.A

It's still not clear if Jagan Mohan Reddy will ask all the ministers to resign or only a few.

Jagan Mohan Reddy is likely to meet the Governor again on April 8 to handover the resignations of the ministers and will also submit a 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, expected to take place in an open area near the 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.

The YSRCP stormed to power in 2019 with a landslide majority, bagging 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 cabinet stayed at 26, which is the maximum strength it can maintain.

However, the death of Mekapati Goutham Reddy, who was holding the Industries, Commerce, and Information Technology portfolios on February 21 due to cardiac arrest, caused a vacancy.