PM Modi to attend Chandrababu Naidu's swearing-in as Andhra CM

Vijayawada, June 10: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be attending the swearing-in of Telugu Desam Party (TDP) President Nara Chandrababu Naidu as the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh here on June 12.  

The ceremony is scheduled to be held at Kesarapalli IT Park near Gannavaram Airport.

As per the tentative schedule, the Prime Minister will land at Gannavaram Airport from Delhi at 10.40 a.m. He will then proceed to the nearby IT Park and participate in the swearing-in ceremony from 11 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. The Prime Minister will leave for Bhubaneswar at 12.45 p.m.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Secretary Neerabh Kumar Prasad on Monday reviewed the arrangements for the Prime Minister's visit. He directed officials to make fool-proof arrangements for the PM's visit and ensure coordination.

PM Modi’s participation is seen as a big boost for Chandrababu Naidu, who led the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) to a landslide victory in the state. The TDP chief scheduled his swearing-in after oath-taking by the Prime Minister and his Council of Ministers to enable their participation. Through this move, the seasoned politician wants to send a clear message of the strong bonding the TDP has with the BJP and also to underscore that the Centre is standing with the state in rebuilding its economy after the ‘destruction’ it suffered during the YSR Congress Party rule.

Meanwhile, the Chief Secretary also reviewed the arrangements for the swearing-in of the Chief Minister and his Council of Ministers.

Naidu, who was camping in Delhi for the last few days to attend the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) meeting and also PM Modi’s swearing-in, returned on Monday. He was busy holding consultations with leaders of his party and also his allies Jana Sena and BJP to finalise the ministerial team.

The TDP’s newly-elected MLAs will meet on Tuesday morning to formally elect Naidu as the leader. Leaders of the TDP, the Jana Sena, and the BJP will later call on Governor S. Abdul Nazeer to stake claim for forming the government.

The TDP-led alliance wrested power from the YSR Congress with a massive mandate. It bagged 164 seats in the 175-member Assembly. The TDP alone won 135 seats while the Jana Sena bagged all 22 seats it contested. The BJP won eight out of 10 seats it contested.

The YSRCP, which had 151 members in the previous Assembly, has been reduced to just 11.

The Governor will administer the oath of office and secrecy to Naidu and his Council of Ministers on June 12. Naidu will be sworn in as the Chief Minister for a fourth time - and the second as the Chief Minister of the residuary state of Andhra Pradesh. He served as Chief Minister of united Andhra Pradesh between 1995 and 2004 and after the state's bifurcation served as the Chief Minister of the residuary state from 2014 to 2019.