Ahead of the Cabinet reshuffle, all 24 ministers of the Andhra Pradesh Cabinet resigned and submitted their resignations to Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy at a cabinet meeting, official sources said on Thursday. According to sources, new Andhra Pradesh ministers will take oath on April 11.
According to sources, only four ministers from the current Andhra Pradesh government are expected to continue in the next Cabinet. Ahead of the 2024 Assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy is set to drop 19 sitting ministers from his Cabinet. According to agency reports, the final list of ministers is expected to be submitted to Governor Biswabhushan Harichandran before April 9.
Andhra Pradesh Cabinet reshuffle was expected in December, was postponed due to COVID-19
On Wednesday, Reddy had handed over the list of 19 ministers to the Governor. In the present Jagan Mohan Reddy Cabinet, there are five Deputy Chief Ministers. The strategy is likely to continue even in the new Andhra Pradesh Cabinet as a part of his exercise to strike a balance between dominant castes in the state.
The outgoing Cabinet had four Reddys, seven OBCs, 11 upper-caste ministers, and one each from ST and Muslim communities. The rejig is being viewed as Reddy’s attempt to balance the caste equations ahead of the 2024 Andhra Pradesh Assembly elections. Reddy had hinted at reshuffling the Cabinet midway through his term. The reshuffle of the Andhra Cabinet was expected in December, however, it was postponed due to COVID-19.
He had later said that the Cabinet reshuffle would take place after Ugadi, the Telugu New Year, on April 2.
