Andhra Pradesh governor ESL Narasimhan administered the oath of office and secrecy to 48-year-old Kiran Kumar Reddy at 1214 hrs. The ceremony held on the lawns of the Raj Bhavan was impressive as the Congress leaders and legislators turned up in full strength.
Kiran Kumar Reddy, who was the Speaker of the state legislative assembly till now, is the sixteenth chief minister of the state and one of the youngest persons to ascend the post.
Those present on the occasion included outgoing chief minister K Rosaiah, state Congress president D Srinivas, All India Congress Committee observers and union ministers Ghulam Nabi Azad and Veerappa Moily, several member of the outgoing cabinet, and a large number of party MPs and MLAs.
In an unprecedented move the governor ESL Narasimhan personally supervised the arrangements for the oath taking ceremony and was seen moving with the officials since morning.
K Rosaiah, who resigned as the Chief Minister on Wednesday, sat on the dais along with the governor and Reddy.
About the induction of a cabinet, Kiran Kumar Reddy said, "I will do it after consultations with the party high command."
Veerappa Moily confirmed that the state will have a deputy chief minister saying "Sonia Gandhi has decided to give the post to a Dalit leader from Telangana", he said.
Speculations are rife that Dr J Geeta Reddy could be the choice for the post as she meets the criteria of being a Dalit from Telangna region. She served as the leader of the House under K Rosaiah as she was MLA while Rosaiah was the member of legislative council.
There were indications that several ministers, who were in the cabinet both under YS Rajasekhar Reddy and later under Rosaiah will be shown the door on grounds of inefficiency as well as their loyalty to defiant MP Jaganmohan Reddy.
Soon after taking the oath, Kiran Kumar Reddy drove to the Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences and met a patient who was undergoing treatment under Aarogyasri program, a pet project of the late Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhar Reddy.
Kiran Kumar Reddy said that he will give top priority to the continuing implementation of the welfare schemes. "The welfare schemes launched by YSR are part of the Congress agenda. They were included in the Congress manifesto with the approval of Sonia Gandhi", he said.
Image: Kiran Kumar Reddy being sworn in by Andhra Pradesh Governor ESL Narasimhan
Photograph: Snaps India