In a sudden political development in ruling YSRCP in Andhra Pradesh, Chief Minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy curtailed the portfolios of his Deputy CM K.Narayana Swamy.
Narayana Swamy has been holding the portfolios of commercial taxes department and excise department as deputy CM in Jagan’s cabinet since June 2019.
Jagan took a sudden decision on Sunday (today) to take over commercial taxes department from Swamy.
Jagan transferred commercial taxes department to finance minister Buggana Rajendranath Reddy. With this, Swany now holds only excise department.
Speculations are also rife in YSRCP circles that Jagan is all set to curtail the portfolios of even another Deputy CM Dharmana Krishna Das.
Dharmana is now holding the portfolios of revenue department and stamps and registration department.
Jagan now wants to take over stamps and registrations department from Dharmana and confine him only to revenue department.
It is not clear who will hold stamps and registrations department and it is speculated that Jagan will handover this also to Buggana or Jagan will keep with himself.
But this sudden changes in cabinet triggered speculations that Jagan may not opt for cabinet reshuffle anytime soon.
Jagan had earlier announced to change entire cabinet after two-and-a-half-year term which ends in November this year.
The new cabinet should come into effect from December this year.
When only one month time is left to replace entire cabinet as per Jagan’s earlier decision, why should he make changes in portfolios at this moment for a period of just one month is the question for which there is no answer.
YSRCP leaders feel that Jagan wants to continue this cabinet for six more months till June 2022 as ministers have been requesting extension of six months on the ground that they could not function on a full scale as ministers since March 2020 due to Covid lockdowns and restrictions. For this reason, Jagan is making changes in portfolios of existing ministers.