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Naidu's nine-member cabinet sworn in

Shireenin Hyderabad

A nine-member ministry headed by Nara Chandrababu Naidu was sworn in at a simple ceremony at Raj Bhavan in Hyderabad this morning. The chief minister and eight other members of his council of ministers were administered the oath of office and secrecy by Governor C Rangarajan.

Chandrababu Naidu, who led his ruling Telugu Desam Party successfully in the recent election to the state assembly, is the fifth chief minister in the state's history to head two successive governments.

His predecessors who led their respective parties to power while holding the chief minister's post were Andhra Pradesh's first chief minister Neelam Sanjiva Reddy (Congress, 1957), Kasu Brahmananda Reddy (Congress, 1967), P V Narasimha Rao (Congress, 1972) and N T Rama Rao (Telugu Desam, 1985).

The ministers sworn in along with Chandrababu Naidu today are: Poosapati Ashok Gajapathi Raju, Tulla Devender Goud, Alimineti Madhava Reddy, B Vishwa Mohan Reddy, Yanamala Ramakrishnudu, Vadde Sobhanadreeswara Rao, K Vijayarama Rao (all cabinet rank) and Somineni Saraswati (minister of state).

Four of the cabinet ministers -- Ashok Gajapathi Raju, Devender Goud, Madhava Reddy and Mohan Reddy -- served in the previous ministry headed by Chandrababu Naidu.

The induction of Ramakrishnudu, who was the speaker in the outgoing assembly, indicates that the assembly will have a new speaker. Ramakrishnudu is a former minister, who had long stints in N T Rama Rao's cabinet in the 1980s.

Vadde Sobhanadreeswara Rao, whose last assignment took him to New Delhi as a political representative of the Andhra Pradesh government, is a former MP. This is his first stint as a minister.

Another new face in the ministry is that of retired IPS officer and former director of the Central Bureau of Investigation K Vijayarama Rao, who created a history of sorts by trouncing the Congress legislature party leader P Janardhan Reddy in the recent assembly election from the Khairatabad constituency.

Saraswati is the only woman in the ministry. She is also a first-time legislator and has been elected from Kodur in Cuddapah district.

Speaking to newsmen at Raj Bhavan after the 25-minute swearing in ceremony, Naidu said that he had decided to have a compact cabinet in the first batch. He said that he was undertaking the task of short-listing the legislators for their induction in the future expansion of the ministry.

"I will undertake the expansion soon. This is the first batch. I will try to give representation to all regions and sections. More youth and women will be inducted," he said. "Our victory is women's victory since they have overwhelmingly voted for our party and helped us retain power. Definitely, more women will be given ministerial berths," he added.

The chief minister reiterated that his government would focus on the all-round development of the state. "We will work out an action plan based on the Vision-2020 document and the election manifesto released by our party on the eve of 1999 polls,'' he said.

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