Andhra Pradesh Cabinet Dissolved as CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy Set to Reshuffle Team

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• Apr 9, 2022 | Dhupali Das

The resignations were accepted by CM Jagan Mohan Reddy, the only cabinet member who persisted.

Digital Desk: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy's entire cabinet resigned today, paving the way for a massive reshuffle a little more than halfway through his term, ahead of the 2024 state election.

Following a cabinet meeting, twenty-four ministers resigned, marking the first step toward the big re-do.

The resignations were accepted by CM Jagan Mohan Reddy, the only cabinet member who persisted.

The revamp was highly expected as Jagan Reddy had stated that he would replace his entire team halfway through his term. The redesign was supposed to take place in December, but it had to be delayed due to Covid.

According to sources, only one or two ministers from the departing team are likely to be retained. These ministers are not being fired as they are the only members of politically significant communities who need to be represented.

The new cabinet will undoubtedly include representatives from each of the state's newly formed 26 districts. When Jagan Reddy took over as chief minister in June 2019, caste, region, religion, and gender were considered important points.

Reddy appointed five Deputy Chief Ministers, one from each Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Backward Classes, Kapu caste, and Muslim minority community. The cabinet included three women. M Sucharita, a Dalit woman, was appointed as Home Minister. This structure will most likely be repeated.

The departing ministers are likely to be given party roles; sources claim they would be helpful in coordination given their track record as ministers and rapport with the public.

Notably, this is the second time in Andhra Pradesh's history that an entire cabinet has resigned in the middle of a session.

Immediately after his massive victory in the Andhra Pradesh election, Reddy stated in 2019 that he would appoint a new team mid-term as part of his 2024 strategy. The plan was to give everyone a chance while also defeating any pro-government campaign against any MLA who had previously served as minister.