Kiran jittery over filling nominated posts

HYDERABAD: Aware of the political risks involved in the exercise, chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy is treading cautiously on filling nominated posts in the government and is clearing posts which are non-political.

As the state Congress leadership apprehends that those who will be left out and even those who land the posts may shift their loyalties to the YSR Congress, Kiran Kumar is believed to have decided to drag the process of filling the nominated posts to a maximum period.

Filling of non-political posts like members of AP Public Service Commission, Lokayukta, State Information Commission and trust boards of various temples prove the point.

Sources said the chief minister wanted to buy time to nominate persons to key posts like chairpersons of APIIC, APIDC, SC corporation and women's commission as party MPs and legislators are recommending the names of their choices for those posts.

For instance, former chief minister Nedurumalli Janardhan Reddy is exerting pressure on the chief minister for nomination of his wife and former minister N Rajyalakshmi as chairperson of the women's commission. But Kiran Kumar Reddy is said to favour Secunderabad MLA and veteran actress Jayasudha for the post.

Congress legislators Malladi Vishnu and Jogi Ramesh are vying with each other for the post of the chairman of VGTM Urban Development Authority.

Kiran Reddy has remarked several times that he is unable to undertake the exercise as every other leader in the party is demanding his or her pound of flesh.

He asked the party MPs and MLAs from each district to sit together and prepare one common list of their choices. But the MPs and MLAs could not do it and, instead, began exerting pressure on him to reward persons of their choice.

The jockeying for posts has brought about a vertical split in the party along the Congress and erstwhile Praja Rajyam lines with Chiranjeevi demanding a `fair share' for his followers.

Making the exercise of filling the nominated posts more complicated, some senior MLAs are demanding nomination of only those who have lost elections.

Thus, in the absence of unanimity, the chief minister has decided to tread cautiously over the issue.

When wanted to know why he is filling only a handful of posts, Kiran Kumar Reddy replied, 'The process of filling nominated pots has begun.

We are awaiting the complete list of posts from various departments. That is why the process of filling the posts is very slow.'