Senior journalist and popular anchor of Sakshi television channel Kommineni Srinivasa Rao is all set to become the chairman of Andhra Pradesh Press Academy, a cabinet rank post.
Orders to this effect are likely to be issued in a couple of days, sources in the government said. He will be replacing Devireddy Srinath Reddy, who will complete his term in another two weeks.
Despite being from Kamma community, Kommineni has been loyal to the Y S Rajasekhar Reddy family for the last 15 years.
Ever since he joined Sakshi channel and started conducting morning debates, he has become an out-and-out fan of chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy and a bitter critic of Telugu Desam Party president N Chandrababu Naidu.
Interestingly, Komineni, who had earlier worked in Eenadu for a long time and later, moved to Andhra Jyothy, was an ardent fan of Chandrababu Naidu during these days.
He was, in fact, into the inner circle of Naidu and was believed to be one of the beneficiaries of Naidu. But for some strange reasons, he shifted his loyalties to YSR after 2004. He joined NTV television channel subsequently and held shows, before moving to Sakshi TV.
Though many people expected that Kommineni would be given a prominent position in the government soon after Jagan came to power in 2019, but for some reason or the other, it did not materialise.
Yet, he remained loyal to Jagan and YSR Congress party and his loyalty paid off finally.