KCR may have 8 mantris in Phase-1, cabinet formation likely to be on Dec. 30

Hyderabad: Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao is likely to form the state Cabinet on December 30. He may induct about eight MLAs into the cabinet in the first phase.

TRS sources said that only two auspicious days are left in this year December 28 and 30. Mr Rao, who sets great store by such things, will therefore most likely name his Cabinet on December 30.

The Chief Minister is presently camping in the national capital and is expected to return to Hyderabad on December 27. He had already completed the exercise of Cabinet formation before leaving on his visit to some states to drum up support for the Federal Front.

TRS MLAs are in a state of suspense about who will be selected.

The Chief Minister himself is under pressure from party leaders and his family members to induct his son and former minister and now TRS working president K.T. Rama Rao into the cabinet. They say Mr. Rama Rao has invitations from foreign countries to discuss investments in Telangana state and so should be in the cabinet in the interests of Telangana’s development.

TRS sources say another former minister and the CM’s nephew, T. Harish Rao, may also be named for a Cabinet post.

TRS leaders expect the cabinet to be a mix of old and new faces.

Former finance minister Etala Rajendar could be brought back. Among the new faces under consideration are Vemula Prashant Reddy, Singireddy Niranjan Reddy, Gutta Sukhendar Reddy, Puvvada Ajay Kumar, and B. Shobha.

For Speaker, former ministers Pocharam Srinivasa Reddy, D.S. Redya Naik former deputy Speaker Padma Devendar Reddy and Mr. Rajendar are under consideration.

TRS leaders said the combined state had never had a Speaker who was a woman or from the Scheduled Caste or Tribe or Backward Caste, and so former minister and senior MLA from the ST community, D.S. Redya Naik, may get the Speaker’s post.