Jagan to induct 13 new faces into AP Cabinet on April 11

Amaravati: As many as 11 legislators, who resigned from the Andhra Pradesh Council of Ministers on April 7, will be re-inducted when Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy reconstitutes his Cabinet here on Monday. The reconstituted Cabinet will have 13 new faces while a veteran will make a come back after a long gap.

Governor Biswa Bhusan Harichandan on Sunday evening accepted the resignations submitted by the 24 ministers, a Raj Bhavan communiqu said.

As per norm, the AP Cabinet can have 26 members, including the Chief Minister.

The new Cabinet will be constituted on Monday, with the Governor administering the oath of office and secrecy to 25 members at a function starting at 11.31 am.

Names of Cabinet Ministers, who would be sworn-in on Monday, were not officially released but the Chief Minister's own media house Sakshi put out the list Sunday evening.

Sakshi later made one change and came up with a fresh list, which the ruling YSR Congress sources said could be the final. Veteran legislator Dharmana Prasada Rao from Srikakulam district, who previously served as a minister under various Chief Ministers, is being taken into Jagan's new Cabinet in the place of his elder brother Dharmana Krishna Das, who was the Deputy Chief Minister (Revenue). Amzath Basha Shaik Bepari and K Narayana Swamy, who served as Deputy Chief Ministers in the previous Cabinet, will also be re-inducted.

Seniors like Botsa Satyanarayana, P R C Reddy, P Viswaroop and Buggana Rajendranath are being given a fresh chance.

S Appala Raju, Ch Venugopala Krishna, G Jayaram and T Vanita are also getting a second chance, owing to caste calculations. The composition of the fresh Cabinet, as the names revealed, clearly indicated that Jagan wilted under pressure while picking his new team that would lead the party to the 2024 general election.

Jagan went back on his word of replacing 90 per cent of the incumbent ministers and giving an opportunity to freshers as he is set to retain at least 40 per cent of his first Cabinet.