Andhra minister quits 6 months after taking oath

Andhra Pradesh's youngest minister Kidari Sravan Kumar resigned from the cabinet on Thursday, a day before the expiry of six-month period during which he was supposed to get elected to either house of the state legislature.

The Minister for Health and Tribal Welfare submitted his resignation at Chief Minister's office.

The 28-year-old, who was inducted in the cabinet on November 11 last year following the killing of his father and Member of Legislative Assembly from Araku by Maoists, contested as Telugu Desam Party (TDP) candidate from the same constituency in the elections held on April 10.

As per the Constitutional provisions, anyone who becomes a minister should get elected to either Assembly or Council within six months. Sravan could not get elected to either of the house in the specified period.

Since there was no by-election to Araku (reserved for Scheduled Tribes) seat, represented by his father Kidari Sarveswara Rao, he had to wait for the general election held last month.

Since the six-month period was ending May 10, the office of Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan had reportedly informed Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu to ensure resignation of the minister by May 10, failing which he will be disqualified.

Naidu had inducted Sravan Kumar and N.M.D. Farooq in his cabinet on November 11. Farooq was a member of Legislative Council.

Sravana's father Sarveswara Rao was gunned down by Maoists in September last year.

--IANS

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