Though Shri Chowdary entered politics late in his career, he had the privilege of holding imporant public responsibilities in a rather short time. The most imporant of them was being the member of the Union Cabinet.

The National Democratic Front (NDA), a coalition of political parties led by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emerged as the victor in the 2014 Parliamentary elections. The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) was a coalition partner and was offered two berths in the Narendra Modi cabinet.

Shri YS Chowdary was one of the two MPs from the TDP to be inducted into the Union Cabinet. 

On November 9, 2014, during the first cabinet expansion of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA Government, Shri YS Chowdary was appointed as the Minister of State for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences.

In 2016, he ran unopposed and secured his re-election as a Member of Parliament to the Rajya Sabha, representing Andhra Pradesh for a second term as a TDP nominee. He also assumed the role of the Leader of the Telugu Desam Parliamentary Party (TDP) on June 4, 2014.

The Ministry of Science & Technology is responsible for promoting new ideas in science and technology and serves as the nodal department for organizing, coordinating, and advancing science and technology initiatives across the country.

The Ministry of Earth Sciences is entrusted with providing the nation with the best possible services in forecasting weather/climate parameters, ocean state, earthquakes, tsunamis, and other phenomena related to Earth systems through well-integrated programs. Additionally, the Ministry handles matters related to science and technology for the exploration of ocean resources and plays a pivotal role in ocean research.

Shri YS Chowdary perhaps became the first minister in India to envision the possibility of an Indian researcher working in India winning a Nobel Prize by 2030. He initiated cross-functional teams to collaborate on several projects in partnership with leading Indian academic and premier research institutions.

The TDP quit the Union Ministry in 2018 over the issue of Special Category Status (SCS) for Andhra Pradesh. On March 8, 2018, the two TDP ministers in the Narendra Modi government, Ashok Gajapathi Raju and YS Chowdary, tendered their resignations as Union Cabinet Ministers  This decision followed the then Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu’s announcement withdrawing support from the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance.

In subsequent political developments,  the Telugu Desam Parliamentary Party in the Rajya Sabha merged with the BJP on June 20, 2019. Consequently, Shri Chowdary, along with three other colleagues in the House, became members of the BJP.

Shri Chowdary served the Union Council of Ministers as a Minister of State for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences for three years and four months from 2014 to 2018.