After being elected as Telugu Desam Legislature Party (TDLP) leader on Wednesday, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister-designate N. Chandrababu Naidu will now have to grapple with the next most crucial issue – the composition of his Cabinet by balancing caste, gender and regional equations.
While former Ministers like K.E. Krishnamurthy, Gorantla Buchaiah Chowdhary and Kala Venkata Rao are expected to be the natural choices when seniority and experience are considered, it has to be seen to what extent Mr. Naidu would seek to balance his team with a blend of the old and new, given the need to maintain equations and translate his vision of turning residuary Andhra Pradesh into a model State.
With the TDP leader having earlier declared that he would have two Deputy CMs – one each belonging to Kapu community and backward classes, it has raised lot of hopes in these two sections. The names of educationist and chairman of Narayana group of institutions, Narayana, East Godavari District president and Peddapuram MLA Nimmakayala Chinna Rajappa and Avanigadda MLA Mandali Buddha Prasad are being bandied about for the post of Deputy CM as a representative of Kapus. From the Backward Classes quota, the Leader of the Opposition in the Council, Y. Ramakrishnudu, among others, is believed to be in the race.
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Former Ministers G. Surya Rao and Sivarama Raju, Palacole legislator Ramanaidu and Chintalapudi MLA P. Sujatha, who belongs to Scheduled Caste, are among the front runners from East and West Godavari districts. There are quite many aspirants from Krishna and Guntur districts, including G. Rama Mohana Rao, former Minister Kodela Siva Prasada Rao, Prathipati Pulla Rao (Chilkaluripeta), former MP M. Venugopala Reddy, Dhulipalla Narendra Kumar (Ponnur) and Ananda Babu Nakka (Vemuru-SC).
TDP polit bureau member and Darsi MLA Raghava Rao Sidda, who belongs Vysya community, D. Janardhana Rao, Ongole MLA who defeated Balineni Srinivas Reddy and Parchur MLA Yeluri Sambasiva Rao are seeking a berth in the Cabinet from Prakasam district. The name of former MP Balaram Krishnamurthy is also doing the rounds.
Meda Venkata Mallikarjuna Reddy (Rajampet), the only TDP legislator to have won in Kadapa district, is in the race too. Among the half-a-dozen MLAs from Mr. Naidu’s native district of Chittoor, the name of former Minister Bojjala Gopala Krishna Reddy is being heard, apart from D.A. Satya Prabha (Chittoor).
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Raptadu MLA Paritala Sunitha, Kalava Srinivasulu (Rayadurg), Palle Raghunatha Reddy (Puttaparthi) from Anantapur district, G. Syam Sunder Sivaji and Atchan Naidu (both Srikakulam), former Minister Narayanaswamy (Vizianagaram) and Ch. Ayyanna Patrudu and Ganta Srinivas Rao (Visakhapatnam) are among the other aspirants.