Jagan to have 5 deputy CMs from different communities

In what could be an unprecedented move, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy on 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 in Amaravati on Saturday.

The chief minister held a meeting of the Yuvajana Shramika Rythu Congress Legislature Party at his residence in Amaravati on Friday morning where he announced the decision to appoint five deputy chief ministers.

Accordingly, one each from Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Backward Castes, minority and Kapu communities would be made deputy CMs.

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.