Aspirants intensify lobbying for State Cabinet berths

Rajamahendravaram: A new demand has emerged from Konaseema district leaders in the Telugu Desam Party to take the Lok Sabha constituency as a unit and allocate minister posts. Earlier, Yanamala Ramakrishnudu and Nimmakayala Chinarajappa from the joint East Godavari district got a chance as ministers. The leaders of Konaseema feel that these two posts were also given within the Kakinada Parliament Constituency and Konaseema leaders have lost opportunity. Some senior leaders have brought the proposal to the attention of the leadership that justice will be done to all in a joint district if new districts or parliament constituencies are taken as a unit.

After the swearing-in ceremony of the Union Cabinet, all eyes are now focused on the composition of the State Cabinet. Top leaders are expected to finalise the cabinet composition by Tuesday afternoon. The aspirants intensified their efforts. It is decided to hold the Telugu Desam Party Legislature party meeting on Tuesday and the swearing-in of the state cabinet on Wednesday.

The TDP-Janasena-BJP alliance swept 19 assembly seats in the joint East Godavari district. In this context, competition for ministerial posts has increased.

Two names for the post of minister are coming up in the district first. There is an opinion that TDP senior leader Yanamala Ramakrishnudu and Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan will be in the cabinet. Yanamala Ramakrishnudu, who is considered to be number 2 in TDP, is currently the Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council. In the current election, his daughter Yanamala Divya was elected to the Legislative Assembly from Tuni. Although they want to promote Divya as Yanamala’s political successor, party sources say that since she is new to politics and was elected MLA for the first time, Ramakrishnudu will be in the cabinet this time as well. Pawan Kalyan’s fans believe that he may take up the post of deputy chief minister as well as the home ministry in the coalition government.

But there is another opinion in reliable circles that Pawan Kalyan may stay away from the minister post and Jana Sena MLAs will join as ministers. If Pawan does not join the cabinet, Nimmakayala Chinarajappa, won a hat-trick from Peddapuram, and Jaggampeta MLA Jyotula Venkata Apparao (Nehru) may get a chance.

Rajahmundry Rural MLA Gorantla Butchaiah Chowdary, who is elected to the Legislative Assembly for the seventh time, is also trying hard for the post of minister.

Kothapeta MLA of Ambedkar Konaseema district Bandaru Satyananda Rao and Amalapuram MLA Aitabattula Ananda Rao are in the ministerial race. Ananda Rao belongs to SC Mala and is a senior in the party. He has experience as a teacher and lawyer. Kothapeta MLA Satyananda Rao was elected as MLA for the fourth time.

It is heard strongly in the Jana Sena circles that Kandula Durgesh will be inducted in the cabinet. Durgesh won from East Godavari district’s Nidadavole constituency and previously worked as an MLC. He is the party president for the joint East Godavari district.