Jagan Mohan Reddy takes oath as Andhra Pradesh CM before huge crowd at Indira Gandhi Stadium in Vijayawada; KCR, MK Stalin attend ceremony

While preparations are on for Prime Minister-elect Narendra Modi's swearing-in ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi, down south, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy took oath as the new Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh. The 46-year-old YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) chief was administered the oath of office and secrecy by Governor ESL Narasimhan at Vijayawada’s Indira Gandhi Municipal Stadium on Thursday as he took over as the second chief minister of Andhra Pradesh since its bifurcation. Jagan, who has taken over his father’s — YS Rajasekhara Reddy— seat after a decade, entered the stadium in an open jeep with folded hands amidst a cheering crowd. Jagan got a hero’s welcome as his convoy passed and later was greeted with a rousing reception as he began his speech. While taking the oath, Jagan paused after he said ‘YS’ — before completing his name — in reference to his father’s name, and received a huge round appluase and cheer from the crowd. Elaborate arrangements were made at the packed stadium which has a capacity of 30,000 people. Narasimhan, who is the Governor of both Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, had reached Vijayawada on Wednesday. [caption id=“attachment_6725601” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Jagan Mohan Reddy took oath as Andhra Pradesh CM on Thursday. ANI[/caption] Among the attendees of the event were Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekhar Rao, DMK leader MK Stalin and leaders of various other political parties of the state. Meanwhile, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief N Chandrababu Naidu had turned down Jagan’s invite and instead decided to send a delegation of party leaders to his residence with a congratulatory message. On Wednesday, Jagan visited various places of worship and the grave of his father and late chief minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy. The YSRCP chief also offered prayers at Tirupati temple and later visited the Amin Peer Dargah in Kadapa district and offered a ‘chadar’. Later, he along with his family members participated in prayers at the CSI church. On his return to Vijayawada, Jagan offered prayers at the famous Indrakeeladri temple. The YSRCP stormed to power in the state on 23 May, bagging 151 seats in 175-member Assembly. The cabinet is expected to be constituted on 7 June, reports said. The YSR Congress also won 22 of the 25 Lok Sabha seats in the state in the recently concluded Lok Sabha election, the results of which were also announced last Thursday. With inputs from agencies