Speculations Rife on Naidu’s Cabinet BJP and Jana Sena to Get Cabinet Berths
Vijayawada: Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan and Telugu Desam scion Nara Lokesh are likely to get deputy chief minister posts in the Chandrababu Naidu-led cabinet, as per speculations here on Friday.
Sources said Naidu, who was busy in Delhi during the day, simultaneously started efforts to select his cabinet and would offer berths to alliance partners Jana Sena and BJP.
Naidu would take oath as Chief Minister on June 12, at the auspicious Muhurut of 11.27am at IT Park in Kesarapalli near the Gannavaram airport. He has started the process of selection of cabinet ministers. Speculations are that he would be offering three minister posts to Jana Sena and two to the BJP.
TD’s newly elected peoples representatives were making a beeline to the house of Naidu in Undavalli for the past three days. They said their purpose was to congratulate Naidu for the big victory for the party, but it is believed that many of them were eyeing ministerial berths in the state or Delhi.
According to sources, a few MPs have sought crucial portfolios in Narendra Modi’s new cabinet, given the TD’s stature as a major NDA partner. Nellore MP Vemireddy Prabhakar Reddy and Ongole MP Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy are among them.
A majority of the senior leaders who won the assembly polls are angling for minister posts. Similarly, the BJP and JS MLAs are in the race and are hoping to get three to four posts each in the cabinet.
The home portfolio would go to Pawan Kalyan, sources said, in recognition of the lead he took in forming the three-party alliance. Lokesh had earlier worked as IT minister and he is likely to retain this as also the departments of municipal administration and urban development.
Rumours taking the rounds are that state TD president K Atchannaidu might get finance portfolio, Nimmakayala China Rajappa the revenue, veteran legislator Gorantla Buchayya Chowdary the civil supplies and Pithani Satyanarayana the BC welfare. Jana Sena PAC member Nadendla Manohar is likely to be industries minister and JS MLA Mandali Buddha Prasad might also enter the new cabinet.
TD sources say BJP leader Kamineni Srinivas who worked as health minister in the TD-BJP-JS alliance government in 2014 is likely to get the same post. BJP legislator P Vishnu Kumar Raju could be endowment minister.
Speculation was rife about offer of minister posts to Nandamuri Balakrishna, Ponguru Narayana, Ganta Srinivasa Rao, Bhuma Akhila Priya, Jyothula Nehru, Konathala Ramakrishna, Paritala Sunitha, Anam Ramanarayana Reddy, Payyavula Keshav, Bonda Umamaheswara Rao and Somireddy Chandramohan Reddy.
Former MP and Undi MLA K Raghu Ramakrishnam Raju is expecting the assembly Speaker post.
