Andhra Pradesh CM Jaganmohan Reddy appoints uncle to head Tirumala Temple Board
YV Subba Reddy will take over as the chairperson on Saturday.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Jaganmohan Reddy on Friday appointed his uncle, YV Subba Reddy, the chairperson of the Tirumala Temple Board, ANI reported. Subba Reddy is also a leader of the YSR Congress Party and will take over his new post on Saturday.
Andhra Pradesh Special Chief Secretary Manmohan Singh issued the order, the news agency said. Singh said the other members of the temple board will be appointed soon.
The chairperson of the Tirumala Temple Board is a nominated post with Cabinet rank. The board manages the hill shrine of Lord Venkateswara, which is one of the richest temples in the world, at Tirumala, India Today reported.
Subba Reddy’s appointment came after Telugu Desam Party leader Putta Subhakar Reddy resigned as the chairperson of the Tirumala Temple Board on Thursday, PTI reported. The previous board was constituted on April 20, 2018.
The Telugu Desam Party, led by former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, had won just 23 of the 175 seats in the state during the Assembly polls held in April. The YSR Congress, on the other hand, bagged 151 seats.
Following this defeat, 10 members of the Tirumala Temple Board voluntarily quit their posts, leaving only three in the administration, excluding government officials. The board’s Executive Officer Anil Kumar Singhal submitted a report to the government, saying that it was no longer possible to run the administration as the quorum for holding board meetings was five.
Subsequently, the Jaganmohan Reddy government dissolved the board and passed another order appointing Subba Reddy as the chairperson.