Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, at the fag end of the Cabinet meeting on June 7 (Wednesday), reportedly dropped enough hints that the government was not mulling going for early elections in Andhra Pradesh.
“In fact, the Chief Minister has directed the Ministers and the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) leaders to work hard for the coming nine months,” a Minister told The Hindu after conclusion of the Cabinet meeting.
“The Chief Minister said that in 2019, the Election Commission of India (ECI) had issued the notification for the general elections in March. We are now in June. In case the ECI releases the notification again in March 2024, there will hardly be nine months time for us. So, work hard and spare no efforts to win the general elections,” the Minister said quoting Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy.
The Minister further said that the Chief Minister would soon review the progress of the ‘Gadapa Gadapaku Mana Prabhutvam’ programme.
‘No discussion on Capital shift’
When asked about the proposed shifting of the Executive Capital, or the Chief Minister’s camp office, from Amaravati to Visakhapatnam, the Minister said, “There is no such discussion. The Chief Minister focused mainly on the 61 subjects tabled for ratification of the Cabinet. Later, he has instructed the leaders to start working for the general elections.”
On the release of ₹10,000 crore towards revenue deficit for the financial year 2014-15 by the Union government, the Minister said, “This is not a big amount. This will however be useful for implementing welfare schemes under Navaratnalu.”
Referring to the Finance Ministry’s approval for releasing an additional ₹12,900 crore for the construction of the Polavaram irrigation project, the Minister said, “The amount is not sufficient for construction of the project. We expect more such funds flow from the Centre in the future. We hope that the Central government will release a total of ₹17,000 crore for completion of the project.”
Commenting on the suspended MLAs in Nellore district, the Minister said, “Had the Chief Minister given a place in the Cabinet, they would have continued in the party.”
