In what as a show of strength the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) President N Chandra Babu Naidu swearing in was all about. Naidu was sworn in as Chief Minister to lead the NDA Government in Andhra Pradesh along with 24 Ministers in Kesarapalli near here on Wednesday.
Governor S Abdul Nazeer administered the oath to Naidu in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, other senior BJP/NDA leaders and flim actor K Chiranjeevi and Rajanikath.
Along with Naidu, 24 Cabinet Ministers, including Jana Sena Chief K Pawan Kalyan and N Lokesh, General Secretary of TDP and son of Naidu, were also administered oath by the Governor. The NDA allies Jana Sena and BJP secured three and one berths respectively in the cabinet. Out of 24 Ministers, 17 are first-timers.
N Chandrababu Naidu sworn in as Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh
TDP MLAs K Acham Naidu, educationist P Narayana, MD Farooq, K Ravindra, Senior JS leader Nadendla Manohar and BJP MLA Satyakumar Yadav are other prominent names in the new cabinet. Three women MLAs, Vangalapudi Anitha, Gummadi Sandhya Rani, and S Savitha, have been given ministerial positions by Naidu who is likely to allocate portfolios to cabinet colleagues later today.
The 74-year-old Naidu, who became Chief Minister of the State for the fourth time, care to maintain caste equilibrium in his new cabinet. While Kapu, Kamma and Reddys are 12, eight are from the Backward Castes, two from SCs and one each from ST, Vaishya and Minority communities.
Former Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, Ex-Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Ottakarathevar Panneerselvam, and Film Actors K Chiranjeevi and Rajanikanth, among others, attended the ceremony.