In a significant move, the YSR Congress Party government on Saturday nominated Mettu Govinda Reddy as chairperson of the Andhra Pradesh Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (APIIC), dropping Nagari MLA R.K. Roja from the post.
When the YSRCP formed the government in 2019, it was widely expected that Ms. Roja would be inducted into the State cabinet, but after a long-drawn suspense, Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy had accommodated her as the APIIC chairperson.
In the recent municipal elections, Ms. Roja’s leadership suffered a setback with surfacing of rebel candidates in several wards of Puttur and Nagari municipalities, though her sway prevailed at last. The appointment of Shanti Kumar, former municipal chief of Nagari, as chairperson of the State Eediga corporation last year, had come as a shock to the supporters of Ms. Roja.
At this juncture, the latest development of replacing Ms. Roja with a new face for the APIIC has turned into a hot topic among the party circles. However, senior cadres maintained that Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy had only followed the one-post norm to do justice to multiple sections.
Meanwhile, senior party leader M.C. Vijayananda Reddy was appointed the chairman of the APSRTC Nellore zone. Mr. Reddy, who wields influence in GD Nellore, Puthalapattu and Chittoor Assembly constituencies, had served for the victory of the party candidates in the 2019 elections.
Another prominent leader of the western mandals, Shameem Aslam, was appointed the chairperson of the APMDC. Beerendra Raju, a senior functionary of the party, who heads trade unions affiliated to the party, was appointed to the post of chairman of the Srikalahasteeswara Temple Devasthanam, and Prameela Reddy, relative of former MP Gnanendra Reddy, was appointed chairman of Kanipakam Temple Devasthanam.
