AP Ministers to be sworn in on June 8

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy will induct his council of ministers on Saturday, more than a week after he was sworn in alone.

The swearing-in ceremony of the new ministers would take place at 11.49 am on Saturday at the Secretariat here, an official announcement said here Thursday.

Ahead of the swearing-in, the Chief Minister would hold a meeting of the YSR Congress Legislature Party at his residence Friday, party sources said.

Following his partys stupendous victory in the recent general elections, Jagan Mohan Reddy alone took oath as Chief Minister on May 30.

After a series of confabulations with his party leaders, he was said to have given a shape to his Cabinet, picking up prospective ministers based on various factors, including representatives of different castes, the sources said.

The state can have a 25-member Cabinet but the sheer volume of the YSRCs victory (151 out of 175 seats) has thrown up a lot of aspirants for the ministerial berths.

Also, many seniors who worked with Jagan Reddy's late father Y S Rajasekhara Reddy have made a comeback this time, making his task of choosing the ministers tougher.

The YSRC chief had publicly promised Cabinet berths to a few leaders during the course of his 'paadayatra' as well as the election campaign.

As such, inclusion of legislators like Buggana Rajendranath Reddy, G Srikanth Reddy, Alla Ramakrishna Reddy (who defeated Chandrababu Naidus son Lokesh in Mangalagiri) in the Cabinet looks a certainty.

Veterans like Anam Ramanarayana Reddy, Botsa Satyanarayana, Dharmana Prasada Rao and Pilli Subhash Chandra Bose who were ministers in the YSR Cabinet are also leading the race of aspirants now.

Legislative Council members such as Ummareddy Venkateswarlu are also eyeing Cabinet posts as the party came to power for the first time.

"There is a need for a fine balancing act and hopefully the Cabinet will be a mix of seniors and freshers, a member of the YSRC Political Affairs Committee noted.

Jagan Reddy is expected to reveal his mind, over choice of Cabinet ministers, at the Legislature Party meeting on Friday, the member added.