In an apparent bid to silence the critics, Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy on Monday inducted three more ministers into his Council.
Governor ESL Narasimhan administered the oath of office and secrecy to Kondru Murali Mohan, Gaddam Prasad Kumar and M Uttam Kumar Reddy at Raj Bhavan on Monday evening. Of these three new faces, two hail from the Telangana region while another belongs to coastal Andhra.
Kondru Murali was the Government Chief Whip and represents Rajam constituency of Srikakulam district. While Prasad Kumar represents Vikarabad constituency, Uttam Kumar is the Huzurnagar MLA. With their induction, the strength of State Cabinet has increased to 41, including the Chief Minister.
This the second expansion in the Kiran Kumar Reddy's cabinet in less than a month. On January 19, two PRP legislators Ganta Srinivas Rao and C Ramchandraiah were inducted into the cabinet. But one minister Dr P Shankar Rao was also dropped from the cabinet on the same day.
Following criticism and pressure from the MLAs, the Chief Minister on Sunday got approval from the Congress High Command for the minor expansion into his council of ministers.