Hyderabad, May 26 (IANS) P. Sabita Indra Reddy was Tuesday chosen by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy to be the first woman home minister of the state.
Sabita, 46, replaced K. Jana Reddy, who was among four senior ministers dropped by Rajasekhara Reddy while constituting the new cabinet for his second successive term as chief minister.

Sabita, who was elected from Maheswaram assembly constituency in Ranga Reddy district in last month’s election, was minister for mines and geology in the previous cabinet.

A third-time legislator, Sabita is the widow of P. Indra Reddy, who served as home minister in N.T. Rama Rao’s cabinet. Her appointment is significant since the chief minister looks on her as a younger sister.

YSR also launches all programmes, including election campaigns, from Chevella, the constituency earlier represented by Sabita. He considers the place lucky for him as it was a 1,500 km long ‘padyatra’ launched from here in 2003 that catapulted him to power the next year.

He chose to launch his campaign for 2009 polls from the same town and became the first Congress chief minister in three decades to retain power.

YSR made no major changes in the portfolios of his other senior cabinet colleagues. Senior Congress leader K. Rosaiah will continue to hold the finance portfolio.

Dharmana Prasad Rao and Ponnala Lakshmaiah will also continue as revenue and major irrigation ministers respectively.

Geeta Reddy, who was minister for major industries in the previous cabinet, has been entrusted with the portfolio of information and tourism.

K. Venkat Reddy, one of the 20 new faces in the cabinet, is the minister for information technology.

Mohammed Ahmedullah, the lone Muslim in the cabinet, will be the minister for minority welfare.

The chief minister has kept with himself the two key portfolios of energy and excise.