Another AP Cabinet Expansion Likely Before Budget Session
posted on Feb 2, 2012 @ 12:09PM
Yet another cabinet expansion is likely to take place before starting of the AP Assembly's budget session from 13 February, say the sources. Accoprding to informed sources, the chief minister Kiran Kumar Reddy is seriously contemplating to induct 3 more ministers in his cabinet, preferably from the Telangana region.
The CM wants to fill the three vacancies arose due to the resignations of Konda Surekha, Komatireddy Venkat Reddy and Jupalli Krishna Rao, all from the Telangana region. Soruces said the move is reportedly to reward the T-Congress MLAS for keeping quiet on the separate state demand and cooperating with the government and the party. Towards that end, the CM himself is said to be pressuring the party leadership to agree for an early induction of some ministers from the Telangana region.
As per the sources in the party, the exercise is likely to happen in the first week of February and that Kiran Kumar Reddy is waiting for an appointment with AICC general secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad and party president Sonia Gandhi to finalise the mini-expansion. The talk in the party circles is that deputy speaker Bhatti Vikramarka, a Dalit leader, will be taken as the replacement for sacked minister P Shankar Rao. The other two vacancies are slated to go to the Reddy community as no other castes are available and the names doing the rounds are that of Gandra Venkata Ramana Reddy and Uttam Kumar Reddy.