At least four of the six new Ministers inducted in the Telangana Cabinet on Tuesday were Ministers in either the Telugu Desam Party or Congress Governments in the past.
In a bid to make his Cabinet more representative and balanced in terms of regional and social representation, Chief Minister K Chandrshekar Rao expanded his six-month-old Cabinet. However, women remain unrepresented in the first Cabinet of Telangana State as the name of Konda Surekha was not to be found in the extended list contrary to the speculations.
Governor ESl Narasimhan administered the oath of office and secrecy to the new Ministers at a simple ceremony at the Raj Bhavan. Apart from the Chief Ministers, two Deputy Chief Ministers Mahmood Ali and K Rajaih, Speaker Madhusudhana Chary, and Council Chairman Swamy Goud, many Ministers, MlAs and MlCs attended the ceremony.
There were scenes of celebrations in and outside Raj Bhavan as hundreds of supporters of new Ministers gathered there shouting slogans and garlanding their leaders.
The new Ministers include Tummala Nageshwara Rao, Talasani Srinvias Yadav, A Chandulal (all Ministers in erstwhile TDP Governments) Jupally Krishna Rao (who served as a Minister in the Congress Government), A Indira Kiran Reddy (former Congress MP and legislator) and Ch lakshma Reddy.
Another interesting feature of Tuesday’s swearing-in was the inclusion of T Srinivas Yadav, who technically belongs to the Telugu Desam Party and had recently joined the TRS while continuing to be a TDP MlA. He represents Sanathnagar constituency in Hyderabad. TDP had termed it a violation of Anti Defection law.
However, soon after taking oath, Srinivas Yadav announced his resignation from the State Assembly. “I have sent my resignation to the Assembly Speaker. I will seek a re-election as a TRS candidate,” he said. “Winning elections is not new for me. People will definitely elect me.”
He had served as labour Minister in the Chandrababu Naidu Government in the past. He also announced resignation from the primary membership of the TDP.
Tummala Nageshwara Rao, a senior figure of the Telugu Desam Party in Khammam district, had recently joined the TRS and he is not a member of either Assembly and legislative Council. He was likely to be nominated to the legislative Council. He had served as the Excise Minister in the Naidu Cabinet in the past.
Chandulal, a Scheduled Tribe leader from Warangal district had served as a labor Minister in the NTR Cabinet.
A Indira Kiran Reddy from Adilabad district comes from the Congress background and was elected to the lok Sabha twice and Assembly thrice. In the last Assembly elections, he was elected on the BSP ticket but later switched over to the TRS.
His induction was being seen as an attempt by the Chief minister to woo the powerful Reddy community.
Mahbubnagar district, which was unrepresented in the State Cabinet got two berths in the Cabinet. Ch lakshma Reddy and J Krishna Rao were inducted from the district. Krishna Rao was a Minister in the YSR Cabinet.
It was also significant that the total Ministers representing Greater Hyderabad has risen to four as the TRS was gearing up itself for the coming elections to the city Municipal Corporation.
later the expanded Cabinet met at the secretariat where the Chief Minister introduced the new Ministers. Contrary to the speculations the Chief Minister did not change the portfolios of the old Ministers. He was likely to hand over his additional portfolios to the new Ministers.