Chandrababu Naidu most likely to reshuffle Cabinet before Diwali

Hyderabad: Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu will most likely reshuffle the Cabinet before Diwali. Sources close to him said there are strong indications of this. In the Cabinet reshuffle, Mr Naidu will induct his son and TD national general-secretary Nara Lokesh and two or three more into the Cabinet. Sources said Mr Naidu is not yet clear on taking YSRC MLAs who defected to the TD into the Cabinet. If Mr Naidu takes a decision on this, only one MLA will get Cabinet berth.

In the reshuffle, Mr Naidu is likely to drop two ministers. A minister from Rayalaseema and a minister from Andhra may lose their position. Sources said that except inducting Mr Lokesh into the Cabinet there will be no surprises in the Cabinet reshuffle. Along with Mr Lokesh, MLC M.A. Shariff from West Godavari will get Cabinet berth. If Mr Naidu decides to take defected MLAs, then Jaleel Khan, MLA from Vijayawada West, may get a chance to be in the Cabinet.

The state government has decided tentatively to conduct Janma Bhoomi Programme from Nove-mber 1 to 10 across the state. Mr Naidu will leave for the US on a 10-day visit on November 12. Keeping this in view, Mr Naidu has decided to complete the long-pending Cabinet reshuffle before Diwali festival which falls on October 30.

Sources said that if for any reason it is not possible to reshuffle the Cabinet before Diwali, it will be definitely be one or two days after the festival.
Mr Naidu has also decided to change the portfolios of some of the present ministers.

Mr Lokesh is likely to get IT, industries and power portfolios. At present, industries and power are looked after by Mr Naidu. IT portfolio was given to information and public relations minister Palle Raghunatha Reddy.

Mr Lokesh has to be elected as a member of the Assembly or legislative council within six months of being inducted into the Cabinet. Mr Naidu may choose to have Mr Lokesh as a member of the legislative council.