For the second time in less than a month, Andhra Pradesh chief minister Mr N. Kiran Kumar Reddy expanded his Cabinet on Monday with the induction of three Congress legislators, two of whom are from Telangana.
Monday’s Cabinet expansion takes the total strength to 41 against the upper limit of 44. In a 10-minute swearing-in ceremony at Raj Bhavan, Governor Mr E.S.L. Narasimhan administered the oath and office of secrecy to the new ministers, Huzurnagar MLA from Nalgonda district Mr N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, Vikarabad MLA from Ranga Reddy district Mr G. Prasad Kumar and Rajam MLA from Srikakulam district Mr Kondru Murali Mohan.
Sources said that the CM, who had returned to Hyderabad late on Sunday night from New Delhi, had thought of inducting the new ministers on February 9 as it was an auspicious day.
He, however, changed his mind and got the job done on Monday evening itself owning to pressures from the candidates.
While it was widely rumoured that all three candidates would be from Telangana to replace the three vacancies from the region on account of the resignations of Mr Komatireddy Venkata Reddy, Mr Jupally Krishnarao and the dismissal of Dr P. Shanker Rao, only two names from Telangana were cleared by the party central leadership.
In-view of the recent incidents of desecration of Ambedkar statues in the Coastal Andhra region and the predominance of the Mala sub-caste there — considered to be a large vote bank for the Congress — the chief minister, after consulting the central leadership, decided to induct Government Whip in Assembly, Mr Kondru Murali Mohan to appease those sections.
Mr Mohan is a second-time MLA who had defeated former Assembly Speaker Kavali Pratibha Bharathi twice. In fact, Mr Mohan came to know about his elevation as minister only after landing here on Monday morning from New Delhi.