In a significant political development, actor-turned-politician Pawan Kalyan has been appointed Deputy Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, along with holding the portfolios of Panchayat Raj and Rural Development, Environment, Forests, and Science and Technology. This announcement was made by the Andhra Pradesh government on Friday. Kalyan’s Janasena party has been given substantial responsibilities in the new government led by Chandrababu Naidu.
Anitha Vangalapudi has been designated as the Home Minister of Andhra Pradesh, while Naidu will retain the Law and Order portfolio. Naidu’s son, Nara Lokesh, has been allocated the Human Resources Development, Information Technology, and Communication portfolios. Lokesh, a Stanford MBA graduate and former World Bank official, is a seasoned politician who secured the Mangalagiri seat with a significant margin.
The recent swearing-in ceremony saw 24 ministers taking the oath, including 17 first-timers, three women, eight from backward class communities, one Muslim, two from Scheduled Castes, and one from Scheduled Tribes. Out of these, 20 ministers belong to the TDP, three from Janasena, and one from BJP.
P Narayana has been assigned the crucial Municipal Administration department, responsible for the development of the Amaravati capital region. Despite the foundation stone for the Amaravati project being laid in 2015, the project faced delays due to political shifts when the YSRCP formed the state government after the 2019 assembly elections.
The TDP-Janasena-BJP alliance achieved a landslide victory in the recent Andhra Pradesh assembly elections, securing 164 out of 175 seats. Kalyan’s Janasena party won 21 assembly seats and two Lok Sabha seats, achieving a 100% strike rate. The alliance also won 21 out of the 25 Lok Sabha seats in Andhra Pradesh.
Earlier on Friday, Pawan Kalyan’s social media handle confirmed his new role as Deputy Chief Minister.
