Nizamabad: For the first time in last five decades, the undivided Nizamabad district lacks representation in the state cabinet. Of nine MLAs, Congress won four in Nizamabad and Kamareddy districts.
Bodhan senior MLA P.Sudarshan Reddy became front runner for a ministerial berth, but the party high command did not give a green signal for the expansion of the cabinet. As a result, the district without a minister continued for the last 8 months. Elevation of former minister P.Sudarshan Reddy as cabinet minister was widely expected.
Argul Rajaram, S.Santosh Reddy, D.Srinivas, Mohammad Ali Shabbir and P.Sudarshan Reddy served as cabinet ministers in united Andhra Pradesh from Nizamabad district. During Telugu Desam regime, A.Mahipal Reddy, D.Satyanarayana, Mandava Venkateshwar Rao, Pocharam Srinivas Reddy, Basheeruddin Babu Khan and Nerella Anjaneyulu represented from undivided Nizamabad district as ministers in NT Rama Rao and N.Chandrababu Naidu cabinets.
In the BRS government, Pocharam Srinivas Reddy and V.Prashanth Reddy represented as cabinet ministers from the erstwhile Nizamabad district.
After Congress came to power, no MLA was taken as minister from the district. Bodhan MLA P.Sudarshan Reddy served as minister for medical education and major irrigation minister in Dr YS Rajasekhar Reddy, K.Rosaiah and N.Kiran Kumar Reddy cabinets.
Of 4 Congress MLAs in the erstwhile Nizamabad district, Sudarshan Reddy is fourth time MLA and remaining three MLAs--R.Bhupathi Reddy of Nizamabad rural, Madanmohan Rao of Yellareddy and T.Laxmikanth Rao of Jukkal are new entrants. However, during his first stint as united Andhra Pradesh cabinet minister P.Sudarshan Reddy got acclaim for his integrity and hard work.
Delay in cabinet expansion affected undivided Nizamabad district and particularly Sudarshan Reddy. Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, a bureaucrat who worked longtime in Nizamabad district said that the district must get ministerial berths. He did not wish to be named and said that Nizamabad is socially, politically and economically a strong district in the state and should get representation in the state cabinet.
