New Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy held meetings with Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and a host of party leaders, during which the names of his Cabinet members are understood to have been finalised.

During his meeting with Sonia Gandhi and Dr. Singh, the 50-year-old Chief Minister thanked them for choosing him for the top post and told them that his administration will be “transparent” to the people.

Kiran Reddy is also believed to have discussed the probable candidates for ministerial berths.

The Cabinet is likely to be constituted on Sunday, a day before the Winter Session of Andhra Pradesh Assembly starts.

The Chief Minister has already held one round of discussion on the Cabinet formation with Law Minister Veerappa Moily, who is also the in-charge of party affairs in the State, in Hyderabad.

Asked whether the composition of his cabinet and nominees have been finalised, he said all these were part of the exercise and will be communicated to the media on the completion.

Though Kiran Reddy said it was difficult to give a time-frame for the cabinet formation, he hoped the consultations will end by Sunday.

To a question whose seal — his or the party’s — will be visible in his new cabinet, the Chief Minister quipped: “When the list is out, you can see whose seal. It is for you to interpret.”

Sources said Vivekananda Reddy, the brother of late Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, is likely to be inducted into the cabinet, a move aimed at taming the belligerent Kadapa MP.

Reddy also met Vice President Hamid Ansari, Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar and Urban Development Minister S Jaipal Reddy, who also hails from Andhra Pradesh.
“My agenda will be to try to give a clean and transparent government,” he said in reply to a question.

Lobbying for ministerial berths has already begun and there is speculation that supporters of Y S Jaganmohan Reddy will also be given ministerial berths, a move aimed at mollifying the belligerent Kadapa MP.

Moily has said that the high command will give a free hand to Reddy to choose his cabinet.

Reddy, an MLA from Pileru in Chittoor district in Andhra Pradesh’s Ralayaseema region, is a YSR loyalist and was the Assembly Speaker till Thursday.