Pawan Kalyan was officially appointed as deputy chief minister, handling additional portfolios of Rural Water Supply, Environment & Forests and Science & Technology. The TDP retained the all important Finance department to be headed by first-time minister Payyavula Keshav while party’s national general secretary Nara Lokesh would head the crucial Human Resources Department, IT Electronics & Communication with Real Time Governance(RTG).

Heading the alliance government, Naidu gave preference to newcomers and first timers instead of veteran MLAs who had served as ministers in his earlier stints. Though Naidu himself is a four-time chief minister, his Cabinet is devoid of political heavyweights.

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On social media platform ‘X’ Naidu wrote, “Congratulations to Pawan Kalyan Garu on becoming the deputy chief minister of Andhra Pradesh. I congratulate all my colleagues in the Cabinet on being assigned their portfolios. Together we have taken a solemn oath to serve the people of Andhra Pradesh and usher in an era of people’s governance.”

Significantly, Naidu retained P Narayana as the urban development and municipal administration minister, a portfolio the latter had handed between 2014-19, keeping in mind the importance of developing the capital city Amaravati. Narayana had been instrumental in pooling the 33,000 acres required for the greenfield capital overriding all opposition.

Senior party leader and Naidu loyalist K Atchannaidu got Agriculture and related subjects while V Anitha was given the Home portfolio sans Law and Order which remained with the chief minister. A fiery legislator, she is the youngest minister in the Cabinet. Even in the YSRCP regime, the Home department had been headed by women ministers. Another first time MLA TG Bharat will head the Industry and Commerce department. Nimmala Ramanaidu, a popular farmer leader has been given charge of the important Water Resources Department.

Nara Lokesh who had headed IT department in the past said “I will restart from where I left in 2019 to attract IT and Electronic companies and generate jobs for our youth, who have been forced to migrate out of the state. This time, Andhra Pradesh will give fierce competition to other states and grab every opportunity to deliver on our promise of 20 lakh jobs in 5 years.”

Following Atchennaidu’s induction in the Cabinet, Palla Srinivas Rao, the MLA of Gajuwaka was appointed as the state president of the TDP. Belonging to the backward class, he won the Gajuwaka seat by a record margin defeating YSRCP minister Gudivada Amarnath.