Dattatreya, Sujana Chowdary Cabinet Berth Confirmed

Hyderabad: Bandaru Dattatreya from Telangana and Sujana Chowdary from Andhra Pradesh are likely to be inducted into the union cabinet, which is set to be expanded Sunday.

Dattatreya, national vice president of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), is a member of Lok Sabha from Secunderabad, while Y. S. Chowdary, popularly known as Sujana Chowdary, belongs to the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and is a member of Rajya Sabha from Andhra Pradesh.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi telephoned the two MPs Saturday morning and asked them to be available in Delhi Sunday morning, sources in the two parties said.

Dattatreya is the lone BJP MP from Telangana and his inclusion will give representation to the newly created state in the union council of ministers.

Dattatreya, who is representing Secunderabad for the fourth term, had served as union minister of state twice in the past.

Chowdary, a businessman, is the first-time MP and is considered close to TDP chief N. Chandrababu Naidu.

He will be the second leader from TDP to become central minister from Andhra Pradesh. Ashok Gajapathi Raju is already a cabinet minister and holds the civil aviation portfolio.

The BJP has two Lok Sabha members from Andhra Pradesh and is also a coalition partner in the state government headed by TDP. However, their claims for a berth in the cabinet appears to have been ignored by the leadership.

Nirmala Seetharaman, though hailing from Tamil Nadu, is a member of Rajya Sabha from Andhra Pradesh. She was elected to the upper house after she was inducted in the Modi government. She is the minister of state for commerce and corporate affairs.

BJP's senior leader M. Venkaiah Naidu, who is union minister for urban development, comes from Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh but he is a member of Rajya Sabha from Karnataka.