Hyderabad: More than two months after storming back to power, Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao expanded his council of ministers on Tuesday but his nephew and founding member of Telangana Rastra Samiti, T Harish Rao, was left out.
TRS supremo's son KT Rama Rao was also left out from the Cabinet. KTR was appointed as the working president of the party immediately after the elections.
Andhra Pradesh and Telangana governor ESL Narasimhan administered the oath of office to the ten Cabinet members, which includes six new faces.
In KCR’s last cabinet, Harish served as an irrigation minister and played a key role in construction of new projects. Once known as the ‘trouble shooter’, he has gradually been sidelined by KCR as he his son takes the centre stage slowly.
Harish tried to downplay the issue by saying Cabinet expansion is purely at the discretion of the chief minister. “I am happy and will abide by KCR’s decision,” he said. Harish attended the swearing in ceremony and said he hoped that all new ministers will work as per the expectation of the CM.
It should be also noted that once again, there was no representation for women in KCR’s Cabinet. Former deputy speaker Padma Devender Reddy, MLAs Gongidi Sunitha and Rekha Naik were expected to get a berth.
In the previous government, too, KCR was attacked for heading a ‘No Woman Cabinet.’
There can be a total of 18 ministers in the Cabinet, including the chief minister. With Tuesday’s expansion, there remain six vacancies, which according to sources, KCR plans to fill after the Lok Sabha elections.
After coming back to power with a thumping majority of 88 seats in the Assembly, KCR took oath along with Mahamood Ali, who was given the home ministry portfolio.
Among the ten legislators who were sworn in as ministers on Tuesday, six belong to forward caste, three from backward and one from scheduled caste.
Four ministers - Allolla Indra Karan Reddy, Talasani Srinivas Yadav, Gutakandla Jagadish Reddy and Eetela Rajender Reddy - were in KCR’s last Cabinet too.
Singireddi Niranjan Reddy was earlier the vice chairman of the state planning board whereas Vemula Prashanth Reddy was the vice chairman of Mission Bhageerata scheme and Koppula Eswar was the party whip in the last assembly.
Allocation of portfolios to new ministers has not been done yet.
The chief minister fixed Tuesday for the cabinet expansion, as it is an "auspicious day" being "Magha Shuddha Pournami" as per the Lunar calendar.
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