ESL Narasimhan, Governor of Andhra Pradesh, administers oath to N Chandrababu Naidu, the first chief minister of the new Andhra Pradesh
, the chief of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), on Sunday took oath as the first Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, its first after the state was bifurcated for the creation of Telangana. Mr Naidu, who has been the chief minister of undivided Andhra Pradesh twice, ensured that the start of his third stint was nothing short of a grand affair.
Thousands of people converged on the sprawling, 80-acre campus of the Acharya Nagarjuna University in Mangalagiri, situated between Vijayawada and Guntur districts, for the swearing-ceremony, the cost of which is estimated to run into crores. Governor ESL Narasimhan administered the oath of office and secrecy to Mr Naidu at 7.27 pm, the auspicious time set for the occasion.
"I will work as 'Coolie No.1' to rebuild the state into a swarna (golden) Andhra Pradesh, a sunrise country and a knowledge hub. I will strive to make Andhra Pradesh the No.1 state in the country with your participation and co-operation," Mr Naidu told the sea of supporters.
(Read)A host of dignitaries, including Home Minister Rajnath Singh and many Union ministers, senior BJP leader LK Advani, and chief ministers of several states attended the event.
The ceremony had come under intense criticism from the Opposition with Jagan Mohan Reddy, the chief of the YSR Congress and Mr Naidu's main rival, slamming it for the "pomp and show". He had refused to attend the ceremony.
(Read)19 cabinet ministers, including three women, were sworn in alongwith Mr Naidu. Two of them are from ally, BJP. Two others, KE Krishna Murthy and Chinnarajappa, will be Deputy Chief Ministers. Both represent the two regions of the state, Rayalaseema and Coastal Andhra respectively.
Soon after taking oath,
Mr Naidu signed five files, including the waiver of loans to farmers, women self-help groups and weavers, a key poll promise of the TDP.
Mr Naidu's party partnered the BJP in the elections. It won a majority in the assembly election with 108 out of 175 seats. The partners have also won 17 seats in the Lok Sabha. With 16 seats, the TDP is the BJP's second largest ally in Parliament.