Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy addresses a gathering at Indira Gandhi Stadium in Vijayawa... Read More

VIJAYAWADA: In a move which has no precedence in Indian politics, Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy will have five deputies in his cabinet which will be sworn in on Saturday morning.

Jagan made the announcement about having five deputy CMs in his 25-member cabinet while addressing the newly elected legislators of YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) at his residence on Friday morning. The deputy CMs will be selected from five major social groups — SCs, STs, backward classes (BCs), minorities and the upper caste Kapus. This is being seen as Jagan’s gesture to reward these communities for throwing their weight behind him in the elections which YSRCP swept by winning 151 of the 175 assembly seats.

The CM told MLAs that half of the council of ministers would be from SC, ST, BC and minority communities. He said he would go for a cabinet reshuffle after two and a half years and would give a chance to some others, hinting that some ministers would be dropped midway.

In its election manifesto, YSRCP has made various promises for the welfare and development of the five communities which constitute about 70% of the state’s population and are believed to have overwhelmingly supported the party.

Sources said the move is aimed at consolidating YSRCP’s support among the weaker sections of society. “There is a dearth of new leadership, particularly among Dalits and weaker sections. Congress and TDP failed to develop new leaders due to resistance from older generation leaders. Jagan’s move to appoint five deputy CMs will help build new leaders from these sections,” said political analyst A Sridhar Reddy.

Jagan talked about the factors he had considered while picking ministers and asked the legislators to understand his compulsions, sources said. He said people have high hopes and emphasised the need for MLAs to live up to their expectations. “Be it the cabinet or the party, each one of us has a special role to play. You should do maximum service to the people whether you are in the cabinet or not,” he was quoted as telling the MLAs.

Jagan’s predecessor N Chandrababu Naidu had two deputy chief ministers. Telangana CM K Chandrasekhar Rao’s earlier cabinet also had two deputy chief ministers.



In Video: AP CM Jaganmohan Reddy to have five deputy CMs in cabinet