Jagan meets Governor, discusses Cabinet reshuffle

Fresh inductions, retentions solely based on caste criteria

Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy will reconstitute his Cabinet on April 11. The new cabinet’s swearing-in is likely to be held at 11.31 am.

Mr. Jagan met Governor Biswa Bhushan Harichandan at the Raj Bhavan on Wednesday. According to information, the Chief Minister discussed a host of issues, including Cabinet reconstitution, with the Governor and sought a time for the swearing in of the new ministers. 

According to information, all his Cabinet colleagues will tender their resignation en masse when they formally meet Mr. Jagan for the last time on Thursday to let him reconstitute his Cabinet. The existing structure of the Council of Ministers would be retained, with five Deputy Chief Ministers in place. One DCM post will be given each to a legislator belonging to SC, ST, Muslim, Backward Caste and Kapu communities. 

While the reconstituted Cabinet will have new faces, at least four from the incumbent team may be re-inducted. The fresh inductions and retentions are solely based on caste criteria, with no other factor in play. Based on the caste calculations, at least four incumbent Ministers may be re-inducted into the new Cabinet. The YSRCP has 151 legislators in the Lower House, while it is likely to improve its tally to 32 in the Upper House.

The Chief Minister is likely to pick up 25 members for his Cabinet from among 183 legislators, including MLCs. Mr. Jagan is perhaps the first Chief Minister to reserve about 50 per cent of the quota in the Cabinet and other nominated posts for SCs, STs, BCs and minorities. As the things stand now, the next Cabinet will be the election team as the government tenure would come to an end in 2024. 

The Chief Minister is said to have broached the topic at the Cabinet meeting held to approve the Budget in March. He reportedly recalled that at the time of forming the Government, he had announced that the Cabinet would be reconstituted after two and a half years to give an opportunity to others.  Mr. Jagan had remarked that dropping the ministers did not mean “keeping them aside”. Some of them would be made presidents of the district party units and some will be appointed as regional coordinators.

“We are giving them the party responsibilities since they gained an elevation and personal reputation as ministers,” he said. Since then, there are speculations that Mr. Jagan would go for either reshuffle or reconstitution of his Cabinet.