Hyderabad: The much-awaited expansion of Telangana cabinet will take place on Sunday as Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao is likely to induct six ministers, including his son and nephew.
The new ministers will be sworn in at 4 p.m. at a ceremony to be held at Raj Bhavan. This was announced by the Chief Minister on Saturday night.
According to a statement from the Chief Minister's Office, Rao has informed the Governor-designate Tamilisai Soundararajan about the cabinet expansion.
Soundararajan will be taking oath as the Governor on Sunday morning. She will succeed E.S.L. Narasimhan, who was given a warm send-off by the chief minister, his cabinet colleagues and top officials.
The chief minister took everyone by surprise by deciding to go for cabinet expansion at a short notice. "Sunday the 8th September 2019 being an auspicious 'Dasami Day', the same day at 4.00 PM the new cabinet ministers will sworn in, decided the CM," according to CMO.
KCR, as Rao is popularly known, is likely to induct his son K. T. Rama Rao and nephew T. Harish Rao into cabinet. Both were cabinet ministers during KCR's first term as the chief minister.
Rama Rao was handling key portfolios of industry, commerce, information technology, mines and geology, public enterprise, NRI affairs, municipal administration and urban development. His cousin was the minister Harish Rao for irrigation in the previous cabinet.
After Tealngana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) retained power in December last year, KCR made Rama Rao the working president of the party.
The TRS chief took oath as the chief minister for the second term on December 13. Home minister Mehmood Ali also took oath with him. KCR expanded his cabinet on February 19 by inducting 10 ministers.
KCR can have six more ministers. He is likely to distribute major portfolios like finance, irrigation, industry and information technology which he had kept with himself.
He is also likely to induct one or two women in his cabinet. He had come under criticism for having no women representation in his previous cabinet.
Sources said TRS may induct Sabitha Indra Reddy, who was one of the 12 Congress MLAs defected to TRS during last few months.
Sabitha was first woman to hold the key portfolio of home affairs in undivided Andhra Pradesh. She switched loyalties to TRS in March.
The defections from Congress, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and two independents have already taken TRS tally to 103 in 119-member Assembly.
As there are many aspirants of cabinet berths, KCR on Saturday named two legislators as government chief whips in Assembly and Council. He also appointed 10 legislators as whips in both the Houses.
He also announced that all the nominated posts will be filled with full-time incumbents to strengthen the administration. He is expected to appoint 12 MLAs as the chairpersons of various corporations.