This Article is From May 29, 2019

Jagan Reddy, KCR To Attend PM Modi's Oath Ceremony Tomorrow

YSR Congress chief Jagan Mohan Reddy and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao made a pact before the elections to operate together if their support was required for the government formation at the Centre.

Jagan Reddy, KCR To Attend PM Modi's Oath Ceremony Tomorrow

Jagan Mohan Reddy will also take oath as Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh tomorrow.

Hyderabad:

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister-elect YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao will go to attend the oath ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi tomorrow. Mr Rao will go Vijayawada today for the oath ceremony of Jagan Mohan Reddy, which will take place tomorrow.

Chandrababu Naidu - the outgoing Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh and an arch-rival of Mr Reddy - has also reportedly been invited to his oath ceremony. But he is skipping the occasion.

DMK chief MK Stalin will attend the Vijaywada ceremony, but he would skip the Delhi event and might depute TR Baalu and A Raja to represent the party, sources said.

Jagan Mohan Reddy, 46 and 65-year-old Mr Rao had made a pact even before the elections to operate together if their support was required for the government formation at the Centre.

In his first interview to NDTV after the results, Mr Reddy had expressed disappointment that his party's support would not be required at the Centre, given the ``kind of mandate NDA and BJP has got''.

He had also admitted that he prayed for a split verdict, so he could bargain for special category status for Andhra Pradesh.

"In normal circumstances, the number of MPs we have should have been enough, but with this kind of mandate in Delhi...'' Mr Reddy had said, adding that he would persist till his state is given special category status.

On Sunday, Mr Reddy met PM Modi and BJP president Amit Shah in Delhi. "I met the first and second most important persons in the country, to seek best possible assistance for Andhra Pradesh,'' he said after the meeting.

YSR Congress has denied rumours that they have been invited to join the NDA government at the Centre. "Our priority is to get Special Category Status. It is our first demand before anything else," senior leader Vijay Sai Reddy told NDTV.

There have been reports that after the kind of mandate the BJP got in this election, they would be looking to expand their influence in the south. Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu are on the radar.

This is why regional leaders like Jagan Mohan Reddy, Chandrashekar Rao and MK Stalin are getting together and strategising to retain their hold over their states. The BJP contested the election in alliance with the AIADMK in Tamil Nadu.

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