KCR takes oath as Telangana chief minister for the second time, Mohammad Mahmood Ali sworn in as deputy CM

Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) chief K Chandrashekar Rao  took oath as the Chief Minister of Telangana on Thursday, resuming his second consecutive in office. Along with KCR — as the TRS president is fondly known — party leader Mohammad Mahmood Ali was also sworn in as the deputy chief minister. Reports said a decision on the other ministers of the cabinet will be made later.

Known for his staunch belief in religious customs and rituals, KCR chose to take his oath at 1.25 pm, considered a “ muhurtam", as was recommended by temple priests.  KCR was administered the oath of office and secrecy by Governor ESL Narasimhan at a simple ceremony on the lawns of Raj Bhavan in Hyderabad. TRS secured a clear majority  in the Assembly election held on 7 December, winning 88 of the 119 seats in the fray trouncing the Congress-led ‘Praja Kutami’, which ended up with a tally of 21. The BJP won just one seat in the state. Whereas, the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), which supported TRS in the election, won from seven constituencies. Reports claimed that the Asaduddin Owaisi-led party could play a key role in the cabinet formation. Rao was unanimously elected leader of the TRS Legislature Party by the newly-elected MLAs Wednesday. Meanwhile, reports also suggest that some fresh faces could be inducted in the cabinet, and KCR’s son KT Rama Rao is likely to retain his position as the information and technology minister of the state.