The new government, led by the NDA coalition, recently announced cabinet portfolios after Narendra Modi and his Council of Ministers took oath. However, this news brought disappointment to the people of Andhra Pradesh because the MPs from the state didn’t get any significant ministries. Despite having three MPs from AP in Modi’s cabinet this time, none of them got ministries that could contribute to the state’s development.
Srikakulam MP Ram Mohan Naidu, the youngest minister in the central cabinet, was given the Civil Aviation Ministry, which was previously held by seasoned TDP leader Ashok Gajapati Raju. Many had hoped for a more impactful portfolio for a dynamic MP like Ram Mohan Naidu, but Civil Aviation doesn’t have much influence on the state as most airports are already privatized.
Another MP, Pemmasani Chandrasekhar from Guntur, an NRI, was appointed Minister of State for Rural Development. While this is an important portfolio, he’ll need to work under the guidance of the cabinet minister Shivaraj Singh Chauhan.
In addition to these TDP MPs, the Modi government also included BJP MP Srinivas Varma from Narsapuram in the cabinet, appointing him as MoS for Heavy Industry and Steel. However, with the decision to privatize the Vizag steel plant already made by the central government, Varma might not have much say in this matter.
Overall, the AP Ministers didn’t get significant portfolios. Despite the TDP-JSP alliance being the biggest ally for the NDA government with 18 MPs, they didn’t receive the expected preference in the Modi 3.0 cabinet. There were speculations that Naidu was demanding more than 6 ministries and the Speaker post, but the final announcement of portfolios left the people of Andhra Pradesh disappointed.