Jagan Reddy to have five deputy chief ministers in Cabinet
Amaravati, Jun 7: In what could be an unprecedented move, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy Friday decided to have five deputy chief ministers under him in a full 25-member Cabinet.
The new Council of Ministers will be constituted at a public function here Saturday.
The Chief Minister held a meeting of the YSR Congress Legislature Party at his residence here in the morning where he announced the decision to appoint five deputy chief ministers.
Accordingly, one each from Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe, backward, minority and Kapu communities would be made a deputy chief minister.
He also told his legislators that the Cabinet would predominantly comprise members from the weaker sections, contrary to expectations that the Reddy community would get a lion's share.
He said the Cabinet would be reconstituted two and a half years later after a mid-term review of the government's performance.
In the previous N Chandrababu Naidu government, one each from, Kapu and BC communities was made deputy chief minister.
Jagan's decision to have five deputies is seen as a revolutionary step that is aimed at keeping those communities in good humour.
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No need for guv: DMK leader Kanimozhi
Chennai (PTI): Senior DMK leader Kanimozhi Karunanidhi on Friday reiterated her party’s opposition to the office of the governor amid uncertainty over government formation in Tamil Nadu after a fractured election mandate.
Speaking to PTI Videos, Kanimozhi emphasised that the DMK’s demand for the abolition of the governor’s post remained unchanged, especially as questions arise over constitutional propriety during the current political transition.
"Our position that we do not need a governor at all is something the DMK has never changed at any point in time," she said.
When asked about the governor’s actions following the election results—particularly the delay in inviting the leading party to form the government—Kanimozhi pointed to what she described as the "inherent friction" between the office of the governor and the political interests of the state.
She said the current situation "raises a lot of questions" and requires introspection regarding constitutional procedures.
Kanimozhi described the election results as lacking a "clear mandate", which she identified as the primary reason for the prevailing political uncertainty in the state.
"What the people decide is supreme," she said, adding that while the mandate was not decisive, it must be respected.
The Thoothukudi MP attributed the ongoing delays and "many confusions" to the absence of a decisive majority for any single party.
She firmly dismissed rumours about the DMK potentially supporting the AIADMK from outside to help stabilise the government.
She described such reports as mere "speculation" and "rumours".
"We can’t be responding to every rumour," she said, declining to comment on the AIADMK’s claims regarding its numbers to form the government.
The political situation in Tamil Nadu remains fluid as stakeholders await the governor’s next constitutional step in an Assembly where no party has secured a clear majority.
The DMK and AIADMK—both of which suffered significant losses to the TVK—are reportedly exploring tactical manoeuvres to navigate the hung Assembly.
The TVK, with 108 seats and the support of Congress’s five MLAs, is still short of the majority mark. The DMK and AIADMK secured 59 and 47 seats, respectively.
