Amaravati: Y S Jaganmohan Reddy, who led his YSR Congress Party to a thumping victory in the Assembly elections, was sworn in as Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh today.
Governor E S L Narasimhan administered the oath of office and secrecy to the 46-year-old leader, whose party emerged victorious in 151 seats in the 175-member strong State assembly.
The YSR Congress decimated the TDP headed by N Chandrababu Naidu, who became the first Chief Minister of the State after it was bifurcated to carve out Telangana five years ago.
The YSRC also won 22 of the 25 Lok Sabha seats in the State in the recently concluded polls.
Jaganmohan took the oath in Telugu at 12.23 pm amid thunderous cheers by scores of party leaders and workers in a brief ceremony at the IGMC Stadium in Vijayawada.
Only Jaganmohan took oath today and his council of Ministers is expected to be sworn in 7 June.
Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, DMK chief M K Stalin and Puducherry Health Minister Malladi Krishna Rao were the special guests.
Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Mahmood Ali, Assembly Speaker Pocharam Srinivasa Reddy, Minister Talasani Srinivasa Yadav also attended the swearing-in ceremony.
Jaganmohan’s mother and YSRC honorary president Y S Vijayamma, his wife Bharati and sister Sharmila and other members of the family were specially seated on the dais.
Jaganmohan reached the stadium and went round the galleries in an open-top jeep to greet thousands of people who came to witness the event.
Jaganmohan and Chandrasekhar Rao will fly to Delhi for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s swearing-in this evening for a second term.
On Sunday, Jaganmohan had met 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.
Jaganmohan is the son of one of Andhra Pradesh’s most popular Chief Ministers, Y S Rajashekhara Reddy, who died in a chopper crash in 2009. The 46-year-old, who inherited his father’s supporters, still had to make his mark at the head of a new party formed in 2011.
The moment came during his two foot marches – the last one over the special status for Andhra Pradesh, undertaken last year.
It was Jagan Reddy’s push for the Special Status for Andhra Pradesh that is said to be at the bottom of Chandrababu Naidu’s move to part company with the BJP and join the opposition camp.