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Chandrababu Naidu expands ministry

Shireen in Hyderabad

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Friday expanded his ministry by inducting 26 new ministers. The strength of the state ministry has now gone up to 35. Besides the chief minister, it has 26 cabinet ministers and eight ministers of state.

The new ministers -- 19 of cabinet rank and seven ministers of state -- were administered the oath of office and secrecy by Governor C Rangarajan, at a simple ceremony at the Raj Bhavan in Hyderabad in the morning.

Eight became ministers for the first time. Thirteen ministers had served in the previous Chandrababu ministry. Another three had stints in the N T Rama Rao government.

The cabinet ministers who were sworn-in are: S Aruna, Ch Ayyanna Patrudu, P Chandrasekhar, N Mohammed Farook, Nagam Janardhan Reddy, J Lakshmi Padmavathi, Tummala Nageswara Rao, K E Prabhakar, Konda Pushpa Leela, Chikkala Ramachandra Rao, Karnam Ramachandra Rao, Tammineni Seetharam, Dandu Sivarama Raju, Kadiam Srihari, P Srinivas Reddy, K Subbarayudu, B Veera Reddy, Mandava Venkateswara Rao and K Vidyadhar Rao. The ministers of state, who were inducted, are: P Bhoomanna, N Kistappa, C Krishna Yadav, M Mani Kumari, E Peddi Reddy, A Prabhakar Reddy and A Rajendra Prasad.

Two more ministers-designate could not make it in time to take their oath. N Siva Prasad, who was named as cabinet minister, and N Narasimha Rao, who was appointed as minister of state, were not present at the Raj Bhavan when their names were called out for taking the oath. They will be administered the oath later. Both will be becoming ministers for the first time.

The ministers who were sworn in on Friday include four women. There are five women ministers in the Chandrababu ministry now, including three of cabinet rank and two ministers of state.

N Mohammed Farook, who was deputy speaker in the previous assembly, has become a minister after a decade. He had earlier served in the N T Rama Rao government in the late '80s.

Two ministers -- K E Prabhakar and P Srinivas Reddy -- who were ministers of state in the earlier ministry have been promoted to cabinet rank. However, three other ministers -- N Kistappa, C Krishna Yadav and E Peddi Reddy -- have been retained as ministers of state.

Chandrababu Naidu was sworn in for a second tenure on October 11, along with eight ministers -- seven of cabinet rank and one minister of state.

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