Hyderabad: Two MPs from NDA constituent TDP took oath on Sunday evening as Union ministers, along with Narendra Modi, who was sworn in as Prime Minister for a third time.
In a surprise pick, TDP's Bhupathiraju Srinivas Varma, a first-time MP from Narasapuram in Andhra Pradesh, was inducted into the Union cabinet, in addition to TDP's Srikakulam MP, Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu, and Guntur MP, Dr Pemmasani Chandrasekhar.
Narasapuram MP Varma has been associated with RSS and BJP for more than three decades. His nomination by BJP central leadership to contest from Narsapuram Lok Sabha had surprised many, but he won the seat comfortably with a margin of 2,76,802 votes.
While 36-year-old Naidu has been allotted a cabinet rank (making him the youngest cabinet minister in the Modi 3.0 govt), Chandrasekhar and Srinivas have been appointed as ministers of state (MoS).
It is understood that the BJP could get a proportionate number of berths in the Andhra Pradesh state Assembly, elections for which were swept by the TDP, with N Chandrababu Naidu slated to be sworn in as Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister on June 12.
“There is no demand as such for [particular] portfolios from the TDP. We are only concerned about the needs of Andhra Pradesh. Our state needs a special development package ... Polavaram project construction, and the pending railway zone are our priorities,” said Ram Mohan Naidu.
The TDP has been promised by BJP top brass that it will induct two more from the party during the Union cabinet expansion after a few days. In total, the TDP will get four Union cabinet berths.
Another NDA constituent from Andhra Pradesh, the Jana Sena Party, is not getting any place in the Union cabinet this time.
In addition to the picks from Andhra, two BJP MPs from Telangana found a place in the Union cabinet.
This time, the BJP won eight of the 17 Lok Sabha seats in Telangana, the highest tally for the saffron party in the state since its inception.
Secunderabad MP G Kishan Reddy, who was also a member of Modi's previous cabinet as well as the BJP's national general secretary, and BJP leader Bandi Sanjay were inducted into the Union cabinet and took oaths on Sunday.
While Malkajgiri MP and former state minister Etela Rajender was also in the race to bag a berth in the Union cabinet, he could not find a place. It has been learnt that he is likely to be made the BJP's Telangana unit chief.
It is understood that the BJP sees an opportunity to grow in Telangana, and the two appointments from the state are understood to have been made to create leverage both politically, and from the point of view of governance.
Kishan Reddy who has been the member of Modi cabinet since 2019, has retained cabinet rank and Sanjay got MoS.