Telangana: A red-letter day for Khammam, three from district get Cabinet berths

Madhira MLA Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka sworn-in as Deputy Chief Minister while Palair MLA Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy and Khammam MLA Tummala Nageswara Rao have sworn-in as ministers on Thursday

Khammam: It is a sort of a red-letter day for Khammam district, as three MLAs elected from the district secured berths in the newly formed Congress-led State Cabinet.

Though several MLAs from erstwhile Khammam district served as ministers in Congress, TDP and BRS led governments in the past, it is the first occasion since 1952 that three legislators from the district got an opportunity to work together in the State Cabinet. It may be noted that Madhira MLA Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka sworn-in as Deputy Chief Minister while Palair MLA Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy and Khammam MLA Tummala Nageswara Rao have sworn-in as ministers on Thursday.

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It is said that the Congress high command decided to induct the three of them into the Cabinet because of their seniority and their role in winning nine out of ten Assembly seats in the district in the just concluded Assembly elections.

In the past, there was a history of two ministers serving in the Cabinet at the same time. For the first time in the district, Seelam Sidda Reddy served as the minister from Mathira constituency, now Vikramarka is Deputy Chief Minister from the same constituency.

In 2004 in the YSR government, Sambhani Chandrasekhar from Palair and Vanama Venkateswara Rao from Kothagudem served as ministers sharing different wings of Health, Medical and Family Welfare Department

It may be recalled that a Congress leader Jalagam Vengala Rao, who got elected from Sathupalli Assembly, served as Chief Minister of the united Andhra Pradesh State from 1973-78. Koneru Nageswara Rao of Kothagudem, Nageswara Rao and Jalagam Prasada Rao from Sathupalli, Sambhani Chandrasekhar and MLA Ramireddy Venkat Reddy from Palair served as the ministers in TDP and Congress governments.

After the formation of Telangana State, Nageswara Rao as an MLC and Puvvada Ajay Kumar as Khammam MLA served as ministers in the BRS government.

62 year old Vikramarka, a four time MLA and one time MLC, served as Chief Whip, Dy. Speaker in AP Assembly and as CLP leader in Telangana Assembly but never served as a minister. Ex-MP Srinivas Reddy is entering the State Assembly for the first time.

70 year old Nageswara Rao, is a four time MLA and one time MLC, served as a minister of minor irrigation, major and medium irrigation, excise, R&B and sports in erstwhile AP government and as R&B minister in Telangana government.