Will dangling a “ministerial carrot” help the ruling Congress to prevent exodus of party legislators to the YSR Congress Party?. As part of this move will the Chief Minister accommodate first time-legislators during the proposed revamp and reshuffle of his cabinet?.
These questions have assumed importance and heatedly debated in political circles in the wake of a sudden spurt in the desertions being faced by the Congress and the YSR Congress Party gaining strength.
With both the Congress and the government bogged down with infighting and groupism at a time when YSR Congress was gaining popularity in the wake of tremendous response to Sharmila’s walkathon, a sense of frustration and desolation began to grow in the rank and file of the ruling party.
Even the Congress High Command seemed to have been rattled by the sorry state of affairs in the State Congress and also the sagging image of the government. As a damage control to enhance the party’s image in preparation for the 2014 elections, the High Command had ensured ministerial berths to as many as five MPs including some of them first timers.
This move of the High Command to give an opportunity to first timers in the Union cabinet has raised the hopes of many first time Congress legislators in the State to find a place in the expected reshuffle of the Kiran Kumar Reddy ministry.
It is pertinent to note here that TDP legislator from Tambalapalle in Chittoor district Praveen Kumar Reddy, who has been suspended from the party, is expected to join the Jagan bandwagon at any time. Another TDP legislator, Ch. Venkat Rao from Payakaraopeta has already joined the YSR Congress recently and Thnneti Vanitha from Gopalapuram has already announced her decision to join the YSR Congress on November 4. Even Amarnath Reddy, TDP member representing Palamaneru constituency is likely to jump the bandwagon any time. Besides these defections from TDP, the Congress legislators from Eluru A. Nani and A. Rajesh of Chintalapudi have already switched their loyalty to Jagan.
Against this scenario of YSR Congress gaining its strength with defections from the Congress as well as TDP, many fence-sitters in the ruling party, especially the first-timers, have found an opportunity to tighten the screws on the leadership to bargain for a ministerial berth. Some of them are learnt to have even sent feelers to the Chief Minister’s camp to consider their claim for a berth in the cabinet lest they join hands with Jagan.
Apart from the first timers, even many senior Congress leaders have been eyeing for a ministerial post. Thus with the aspirants for ministerial posts swelling in the ranks of the juniors and seniors, the Chief Minister’s position whenever he ventures to revamp and reshuffle his cabinet would be like walking on thin ice. While keeping in view the claims and counter claims of the juniors and seniors, it is imperative for him not to ignore the caste equations as ignoring this would be only committing political suicide. Thus one has to see how Kiran Kumar Reddy would do a balancing act to come unscathed while venturing a revamp of his ministry. (NSS)