How Chandrababu Naidu's Cabinet Reflects a Generational Shift in Leadership

Surprising many political observers, Naidu inducted 17 new faces out of 24 ministers sworn in on 12 June.

Chandrababu Naidu's Cabinet in Andhra Pradesh. 

(Photo: PTI)

As Chandrababu Naidu presided over the formation of the new Cabinet, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) supremo appeared to be preparing for the transition to the next generation of political leadership.

Surprising many political observers, Naidu inducted 17 new faces out of 24 ministers sworn in on Wednesday, 12 June. At least 10 of them were elected to the Legislative Assembly for the first time.

Several seniors like Yanamala Rama Krishnudu, Kala Venkata Rao, Ayyanna Patrudu, and Somi Reddy Chandramohan Reddy, who were part of the previous TDP ministries, and leaders like Gorantla Butchaiah Chowdary, were excluded from the current Cabinet, giving way to fresh faces.

Emboldened by the invincible majority his party received in the recent elections, Naidu could afford to dispense with many of these senior leaders. However, his alliance with the Jana Sena Party (JSP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) also made the induction of new faces inevitable, as the lone minister representing BJP, Satya Kumar Yadav, and two of the three JSP representatives, including Pawan Kalyan, are first-time ministers.

Meanwhile, TDP sources opine that the Cabinet's character reveals a transition to the inevitable installation of Naidu's son Nara Lokesh as the future leader of the party and the government. Such a transition is, however, unlikely in this term, as actor-turned-politician Pawan Kalyan, who is hailed as the architect of this successful alliance, has assumed the position next to Naidu in the NDA Cabinet.

Any attempt to disturb this delicate balance may prove to be detrimental, despite the TDP alone having an unassailable majority within the ruling alliance in Andhra Pradesh.  

The Rationale Behind Inducting New Faces

Chandrababu Naidu has belied the expectations of many that he would go with experienced hands as Prime Minister Narendra Modi has done with his Cabinet, given the indomitable challenges of governance that the TDP supremo faces.   

Of course, any ministry formation is an exercise in balancing caste equations and regional representation, among others. As the TDP, like any other regional party, is more or less a proprietorial concern, there is, perhaps, not much of a need to strike a balance between warring groups, as loyalty to the leadership is unquestionable.  

But Naidu has certainly faced the problem of plenty, as his own party – as part of the NDA – won 135 seats in the 175-strong state legislature. The JSP with 21 MLAs got three Cabinet berths, while the BJP with 8 legislators got one. Naidu, therefore, struck a balance between the three partners of the NDA with a minister-legislator ratio of 1:7.

It may be noted that the Constitution stipulates that the strength of the ministry cannot exceed 15 percent of the state Assembly strength. Despite such challenges in crafting his ministry, Naidu enjoys the comfort of a marginalised Opposition, with his rival YSR Congress winning only 11 seats, losing even the status of the main opposition.

The TDP is known for its cadre-based character. This is precisely the reason why the Naidu-led party rose like a phoenix after it was decimated to 23 members in the previous Assembly elections.

The party had returned to power in 2014 after passing through a difficult phase of the Telangana statehood movement and a sympathy wave generated for YS Jagan Mohan Reddy due to the death of his father and popular chief minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy.

Naidu, therefore, seems to have given priority to preparing the next generation of leadership through his Cabinet formation. There were complaints of fatigue with the same faces running the affairs of the party and the government. Naidu's move would address this, too.

The TDP is often described as a "factory that produces leaders." This is precisely why the party, despite defections in the past, could storm to power. The induction of new faces would bring fresh blood in the government and be expected to strengthen the party.

But how Naidu will tackle the problem of possible disgruntlement among the excluded seniors is something to watch out for.  

The Caste Equations in Naidu's Cabinet

Naidu has certainly found it difficult to balance between various caste combinations.

The TDP is often credited with the political empowerment of the backward classes, and backward classes account for one-third of Naidu's Cabinet.

In fact, Jagan's electoral plank revolved around social justice that included political empowerment of the backward classes. Interestingly enough, there are eight BCs in Naidu's cabinet as compared to seven in Jagan's ministry. 

The chief minister was cautious enough to ensure that at least half of his ministers belonged to Backward Classes, Scheduled Castes, and Scheduled Tribes.

Unlike the Modi Cabinet, Naidu inducted a Muslim MLA, NMD Farooq, into his Cabinet. This may have been done to assuage the feelings of minorities that the TDP's alliance with the saffron party might work against them. Three women MLAs also found place in the Cabinet.  

Many of the bitter critics of Jagan, who incurred the wrath of the YSR Congress regime, were inducted into the Cabinet. They include Atchannaidu, Kollu Ravindra, V Anitha, P Narayana, and Ramprasad Reddy, among others.   

Kammas, a dominant caste group, are traditionally loyal to the TDP. But due to the presence of many from this community in the Cabinet, including the chief minister and his son, senior leaders like Gorantla Butchaiah Chowdary was once again left out.

The rather unnatural social coalition of Kammas and Kapus was instrumental in catapulting the TDP-Jana Sena-BJP combine to power in the state. Reflecting this socio-political reality, as many as nine ministers belong to these two communities in the 25-member NDA ministry in the state.  

Despite the TDP having a convincing majority of its own in the state Assembly, Pawan Kalyan would be the cynosure of the NDA Cabinet. This is because it was Kalyan's support to the beleaguered TDP after Naidu's arrest that proved to be the game-changer.

He authored the narrative of preventing a split in the anti-incumbency vote. Kalyan was also instrumental in bringing the TDP and BJP together despite the saffron party's initial hesitation and its perceived closeness to Jagan.

The JSP's support to the TDP has also resulted in the shift of the Kapu vote, resulting in a formidable electoral arithmetic. Retaining the support of Backward Classes and Kapus is critical for the Telugu Desam party to sustain its political domination, as Jagan still enjoys the support of Dalits and minorities, apart from Reddy voters.

Backward Classes and Kapus together account for half of Naidu's Cabinet, indicating the TDP supremo's meticulous social engineering which defines the composition of his ministry.