The Hindu : Front Page : Race begins for Cabinet berths

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Monday, May 18, 2009
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Race begins for Cabinet berths

Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy in New Delhi

HYDERABAD: The defeat of over a dozen Ministers in the Assembly elections has kindled hopes among senior legislators who made it to the Assembly about their possible selection for a berth in the Cabinet.

Out of the 34 Ministers, who contested the Assembly elections, as many as 14 lost. Among them, nine are from Telangana, four from Andhra and one from Rayalaseema region.Although Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy is away in New Delhi to meet his party’s central leaders after the Congress party’s emphatic victory, the new MLAs have begun lobbying for Cabinet berths. It is not just the MLAs but over a dozen Members of Legislative Council (MLCs) are making their own pitch for a place in the Ministry.

In the exercise for constituting his team, Dr. Reddy may look for new faces in Nizamabad, Adilabad, Karimnagar, Khammam, Visakhapatnam, Mahabubnagar and Krishna districts where the Ministers lost. He may also be searching for eligible MLAs from West Godavari, Kurnool and Kadapa districts. Party sources maintain that with the party putting up sterling performance in Telangana and Andhra, the pressure for a Cabinet would be more in these regions. “With senior Ministers and seasoned MLAs losing, the field is wide open for newcomers as well as those who have served as MLAs for more than two terms,” sources said.

An MLC said that Dr. Reddy should also consider the Council members for the Cabinet berths.“When a Cabinet reshuffle was on the cards last time, it was decided that MLCs would not be accommodated. But this time round, many of them are serving for the second term. Hence, they should be considered,” the MLC hoped. A senior Congress leader said that representatives of districts like Nizamabad, Adilabad and Mahabubnagar districts may not find a place in the Cabinet as the number of MLAs were too few. Party leaders are hopeful that Dr. Reddy would go for a full Cabinet as he did last time instead of staggered expansion.

Tribal MLA

Speculation is also rife that Dr. Reddy, while constituting his team, might pitch for more number of backward class members and also give representation to some forward communities like kapus, kshatriyas and brahmins, who are few in number. He may also have to look out for a senior tribal MLA to fill up the ST quota while there are a number of seasoned legislators from the SC community.

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