Jagan to be sworn-in today; KCR, Stalin to attend

Yuvajana Shramika Rythu Congress chief Yeduguri Sandinti Jaganmohan Reddy will be sworn in on Thursday as the second chief minister of Andhra Pradesh post its bifurcation.

Governor E S L Narasimhan will administer the oath of office and secrecy at 12.23 pm in a grand public function at the IGMC Stadium in nearby Vijayawada, to the 46-year-old leader who led his party to a resounding victory in the recent assembly and Lok Sabha elections.

The YSR Congress bagged 151 of the 175 seats in the state assembly, decimating the Telugu Desam Party 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.

YSRC won 22 of the 25 Lok Sabha seats.

Governor Narasimhan arrived in Vijayawada from Hyderabad on Wednesday afternoon.

Reddy alone will take oath on Thursday while his Council of Ministers is likely to be constituted on June 7, party sources said.

For the first time, special arrangements have been made at the Andhra Pradesh Bhavan in New Delhi for live streaming of the swearing-in ceremony.

Ambassadors of various countries, representatives from unilateral and multi-lateral agencies, international donor agencies, industry associations, multinational corporations and international media have been invited to witness the event at the AP Bhavan, according to Resident Commissioner Praveen Prakash.

After taking oath, Reddy is expected to specially address the invited dignitaries through the video link and present his vision and mission for building a new Andhra Pradesh.

He is also likely to make some key announcements for the people of the state, mainly related to YSRC's Navaratnalu, the nine major electoral promises, party sources said.

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhara Rao and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam president M K Stalin are among the dignitaries who will attend the swearing-in ceremony.

Reddy had also invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi when he met him Sunday.

Chandrababu Naidu, who was invited by Reddy over phone, has decided to stay away. However, a three-member delegation of TDP MLAs, deputed by him, would meet Reddy and extend greetings ahead of the swearing-in, party sources said.

Reddy has also invited Jana Sena president Pawan Kalyan, Telugu film star K Chiranjeevi and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for the swearing-in.

Communist Party of India and Communist Party of India-Marxist national general secretaries Suravaram Sudhakar Reddy and Sitaram Yechuri respectively, state Bharatiya Janata Party president Kanna Lakshminarayana and a host of other leaders are among the invitees.

On the eve of his swearing-in, the YSRC chief visited the famous hill shrine of Lord Venkateswara in Tirumala Wednesday morning and offered prayers.

He then went to Kadapa town and offered prayers at the famous Amin Peer (Pedda) Dargah and presented a chadar.

The chief minister-designate and his family members later took part in the prayer service at the CSI Church in his hometown Pulivendula.

He drove down to the YS family estate in Idupulapaya and paid obeisance at the grave of his late father and former chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy.

On his return to Vijayawada, he went to Indrakeeladri and worshipped Goddess Kanaka Durga, the presiding deity of the city.

Elaborate security arrangements, with about 5,000 police personnel in deployment, have been made in Vijayawada city for the swearing-in ceremony, according to the Commissioner of Police Ch Dwaraka Tirumala Rao.

While the stadium could hold about 30,000 people, LED screens were being arranged across the city for people to witness the event, he said.