Festivities, enthusiastic optimism coupled with emotions and a clear bonhomie between the supporters of Telugu Desam Party (TDP), Jana Sena (JS) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) marked the swearing-in ceremony of the new NDA government in Andhra Pradesh at Kesarapalli near here on Wednesday.
The rush to reach the venue, located opposite Gannavaram airport, began in the State on Tuesday night, as scores of supporters of the three parties started reaching the venue by early hours of Wednesday in buses and trucks.
The galleries, earmarked for the public, were filled to the capacity of about 70,000 by 7 a.m., even though the police had instructed that people had to be seated latest by 9.30 a.m.
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The presence of VVIPs and celebrities, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and other Senior BJP and NDA leaders, resulted in elaborate security arrangements as all roads led to Kesarapalli, leaving the Vijayawada city deserted after 10 am.
Star-studded event
People also thronged to catch a glimpse of actor Chiranjeevi with all his family members, Pawan Kalyan and his wife, actor-turned politician N. Balakrishna, actor Ram Charan, Tamil ‘Super Star’ Rajinikanth and other film personalities, including Boyapati Srinu.
There were many touching moments too. Naidu, who is known to be stoic, always turned visibly emotional when Prime Minister Narendra Modi hugged and patted him. There was also a loud cheer from the public when Kalyan sought the blessings of his brother and actor Chiranjeevi after swearing in as a minister.
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And Modi gave a pleasant surprise to all when he greeted ‘Mega Brothers’ — Chiranjeevi and Kalyan — jointly on the dais after the swearing in of all ministers was complete.
The leading industry representatives were conspicuous by their absence, probably because it was a brief event without any speeches and due to the limited space in the location.
While the event went off well without any disturbances, huge traffic jams tested the patience of commuters in Vijayawada city and the national highways due to restrictions and diversions.