Half of Jagan's cabinet belongs to weaker sections

For the first time, a predominantly Reddy party has roped in 14 cabinet ministers from the weaker sections, limiting the Reddy community to four cabinet berths. YS Jaganmohan Reddy‘s bold step might have hurt party senior and Nagari Legislator Roja, but the party leader and chief minister made his intentions clear by giving priority to a balance of all communities and loyalty during the years of his struggle.

In all 11 members from the forward castes, 7 from backward classes, 5 SCs, 1 ST and 1 from minority Muslim community found a place in Jagan’s cabinet that took oath on Saturday here. Only four Reddy MLAs Balineni Srinivasa Reddy (Ongole), Mekapati Gowtham Reddy (Atmakuru), Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy (Punganur), and Buggana Rajendra Nath Reddy (Done) were accommodated. A peeved Roja who is from the Reddy community has left Vijayawada on Friday night despite a call from Jagan’s office to make herself available on Saturday. She told her followers that she is disappointed.

Jagan’s cabinet has three women ministers, Taneti Vanitha (Kovvur), Mekatoti Sucharitha (Pathipadu), and Pushpa Srivani (Kurupam). Two of Jagan’s loyalists Pilli Subhash Chandra Bose (East Godavari) and Mopidevi Venkataramana (Guntur) who were included into the cabinet through MLC quota. The lone member from the Muslim community is the first timer Amjad Basha is from Kadapa.

District wise, coastal AP has got majority representation in the 25-seat cabinet. While East and West Godavari districts got 3 berths each, Krishna also got 3, Vizianagaram 2, Guntur 2, Prakasam 2, Nellore 2, Chittoor 2, Kurnool 2, Jagan's own district Kadapa 1, Srikakulam 1 and Anantapuram 1.