TDP is all set to replace the present Congress Leader A Chakrapani as the Chairman of the Legislative Council of Andhra Pradesh. If the buzz is to be believed, Payyavula Keshav, Somireddy Chandramohan Reddy, Gali Muddu Krishnama Naidu and Nitesh Reddy are in the race of chairman position. Nitesh being a newbie might face hostility, but SomiReddy and Payyavula are expecting a ministerial berth. Apparently Payyavula refused to accept the chairman post. The equations are bound to change once the name is established.
Nara Lokesh and Akhila Priya will be indisputably inducted into the cabinet. It is inevitable for Chandrababu to remove some ministers. Either Palle Ragunathareddy or Bojjala Gopala Krishna will be sidelined. Due to the controversies surrounding the alleged harassment of ZP Chairperson Jani Moon and his son’s involvement in a sexual harassment case, Madiga leader Kishore Babu Ravela is likely to lose his post first. Ravel will be replaced by Dokka Manikya Varaparasad who already has a position. Dokka’s associates say that this position might be reallocated to someone else and that the MLC would be given a ministerial post.
YCP defectors like Adinarayana Reddy and Sujana Ranga Rao may find place in Chandrababu’s cabinet but there is an apprehension that the governor might raise objection to the inclusion of the defected legislators. The chances are feeble for the YCP turncoats. However, the argument put forth by defectors is that the governor doesn’t have authority and moreover he did not have objection inducting defectors in Telangana.
Chief Minister is likely to expand his cabinet in the first week of April. Though the maximum size of the cabinet is allowed to be 26, since June 8, 2014 the TDP cabinet size remained 20. As the government is about to complete three years, political equations will change once the Cabinet expansion is completed.
