Patnam Mahender Reddy may get mines, I&PR portfolios

HYDERABAD: BRS MLC Patnam Mahender Reddy was inducted into the state Cabinet on Thursday. Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan administered the oath of office and secrecy to Reddy at a simple ceremony in Raj Bhavan.

With this, the lone vacancy in the Cabinet following the ouster of Etala Rajendar, now BJP MLA, in May 2021, has been filled.

Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao and all his Cabinet colleagues barring K.T. Rama Rao, Errabelli Dayakar Rao and Puvvada Ajay Kumar attended the ceremony.

Dayakar Rao and Ajay Kumar could not make it to the event due to their pre-scheduled meetings in Warangal and Khammam districts, while Rama Rao is in the United States.

Mahender Reddy's induction is seen as Rao’s move to address dissatisfaction after the announcement of tickets in the upcoming Legislative Assembly polls. Mahender Reddy, who had served as transport minister in Rao's first stint, was a strong contender from Tandur. Rao allocated the seat allocated to incumbent MLA ‘Pilot’ Rohith Reddy, who had defected from the Congress.

When Rohith Reddy’s name was cleared, there was a lot of resentment in the Mahender Reddy camp. In order to pacify them, Rao accommodated Mahender Reddy in the Cabinet.

Meanwhile, Rao’s 20-minute separate meeting with the Governor prior to the oath-taking ceremony created a buzz in political circles given the open confrontation between the two of them on several issues. Rao visited Raj Bhavan only when Chief Justices of the High Court took oath.

The Chief Minister and the Governor reportedly discussed bills pending with the latter and the pending MLC nominations. They reportedly have agreed to resolve the issues amicably.