The much-awaited Cabinet expansion is expected to take place before August 20, with a Muslim face. The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) national president and Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu’s idea is to induct a Muslim leader into the Cabinet before the Minority Sadassu scheduled to be organised in Guntur on August 28.
At present, there is no representation for Scheduled Tribes (ST) and Muslims in the Cabinet. Two vacancies have arisen following the resignation of the Bharatiya Janata Party MLAs in March this year. The TDP has been focussing on consolidating minority vote bank after severing ties with the BJP.
TDP MLC M. A. Sharif and Kadiri MLA Attar Chand Basha, who switched loyalties from the YSR Congress to the TDP, are in the race in the minority quota. The TDP supremo, however, is “unlikely to consider” the candidatures of senior TDP leader N. Md. Farooq, who is the Chairman of the Legislative Council, and Mr. Chand Basha. Mr. Naidu is wary of the repercussions of inducting the YSRCP MLAs as the election mood has already set in. The YSRCP has been raking up the issue of induction of defected MLAs into the Cabinet at all possible fora. “As things stand now, Mr. Sharif has edge over Mr. Chand Basha,” says a TDP polit bureau member.
BC or Kapu?
Mr. Naidu has been weighing his options with regard to the second vacancy. With the resignation of BJP MLA Pydikondala Manikyala Rao, a Kapu leader from West Godavari district, there is a demand to induct a Kapu MLA in the Cabinet. Likewise, the BC community is also pulling the strings. Mr. Naidu is likely to induct MLC Gummadi Sandhya Rani, if the vacancy were to be filled with an ST candidate. Polavaram MLA (ST) Modiyam Srinivasa Rao (West Godavari district) is also in the race. “The Chief Minister is yet to decide on inducting a BC or Kapu MLA. In all probability, a Muslim and an ST will find berth,” the TDP leader says.
This is the first TDP government to run without a minority face in the Cabinet. The TDP’s lone candidate from Sileru Iqbal Ahmed Khan lost the election and no other leader was available to take a place in the Cabinet.
Subsequently, TDP senior leader Mr. Sharif has been made an MLC. Mr. Chand Basha and Jaleel Khan quit the YSRCP hoping to join the Cabinet.
But their candidature was not considered in the last Cabinet reshuffle cum expansion in April 2017, though a few other YSRCP MLAs found berth.
Later, Mr. Jaleel Khan has been appointed as A.P. Wakf Board Chairman.
