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Vizag has no place in cabinet reshuffle
A view of Visakhapatnam
Even after the state bifurcation, Visakhapatnam district played a significant part in Andhra Pradesh.
Visakhapatnam: Even after the state bifurcation, Visakhapatnam district played a significant part in Andhra Pradesh. However, the district did not secure a single cabinet post in the much-awaited exercise of the cabinet reshuffle. There were hopes that former Tourism Minister M Srinivasa Rao would continue in the cabinet for a while. But, his name, eventually, did not surface in the 'team Jagan' list.
Until the recent district reorganisation, Visakhapatnam essayed a key role in the state. But post the districts rejig, the port city has been divided into three districts – Visakhapatnam, Alluri Sitarama Raju and Anakapalle. With this, the 15 Assembly constituencies of Vizag have been shrunk into six.
Apparently, there seems to be a number of reasons for Visakhapatnam district not able to gain a place in the cabinet such as the area becoming smaller, not many MLAs from the ruling party and caste equations.
Post trifurcation, only two MLAs belong to the YSRCP. They include Gajuwaka MLA Tippala Nagireddy and Bheemunipatnam MLA M Srinivasa Rao.
As age, health and experience are not favourable to Nagireddy, experts opine that he could not gain a place in the cabinet.
Also, many pinned hopes that Srinivasa Rao would continue in the cabinet as minister. Currently, the new district of Visakhapatnam includes Visakhapatnam North, South, East, West, Gajuwaka and Bheemunipatnam and a mandal of Pendurthi constituency. Of them, the TDP MLAs belong to North, South, East and West constituencies. At present, the South Constituency MLA Vasupalli Ganesh Kumar is in support of the ruling party.
Since MLA Gudivada Amarnath from the neighbouring Anakapalle district surfaced on the final list, the scope for Avanthi, belonging to the same community, has been narrowed down.
Earlier, there were talks that the YSRCP MP V Vijayasai Reddy would bag a plum post in the cabinet from Vizag.
Meanwhile, born and raised in Visakhapatnam, Amarnath has a complete grip over the district. Keeping this in view, there is a larger scope for him to play a crucial role in the party activities in the port city as well.
With the ruling party exuding confidence that Visakhapatnam will be the executive capital of Andhra Pradesh, the possibility of how the proposal will take shape even without a single minister in the cabinet from the district needs to be seen.(eom)
