There is intense speculation in the political circles, particularly in TRS leaders, about the possibility of a Cabinet reshuffle –additions and deletions—a little after the completion of the current Budget Session of the Legislature.
The Budget session is scheduled to come to an end on March 27. There is a view in the TRS circles that the Cabinet reshuffle is long overdue, and somehow, it is getting postponed from time to time. Now that nearly four years are getting completed and only one year time is there for the next elections, the Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao is keen on revamping the Ministry, to face the challenges ahead.
The Chief Minister is reported to be toying with the idea of rectifying certain mistakes, which gave raise to criticism from the opposition parties. Induction of at least one woman, if not two, in to the Cabinet is one among them, particularly in view of the fact that the opposition parties were raising the issue frequently and trying to create an impression among the women that KCR is against women force.
Sources indicate that the Chief Minister is now applying his mind on Cabinet reshuffle, involving inclusions and deletions. He is weighing the pros and cons of dropping at least one or two Ministers to make way for inclusion of one or two in the Ministry. The Chief Minister giving ratings to the Ministers and MLAs recently is one indication of this. The Chief Minister is also examining the feasibility of entrusting the party responsibilities to one or two young leaders by dropping them from the Ministry, with a view to rejuvenate the party and strengthen it from grass root level.
Apart from inducting one woman Ministers from among the MLAs, the Chief Minister has already given an assurance about inclusion of MLA Koppula Eashwar in to the Cabinet. Thus, there is possibility of induction of two or three new faces in the Ministry, and the consequential deletion of two or three Ministers. Speculation in the party indicate that the Chief Minister might complete the exercise and affect reshuffle by Sri Ramanavami day, April 5. (NSS)