TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu to take oath as new Andhra Pradesh CM on Sunday

Telugu Desam Party (TDP) President N Chandrababu Naidu will be sworn in as the first Chief Minister of new Andhra Pradesh at a grand function on Sunday.

Governor ESL Narasimhan will administer the oath of office and secrecy to Chandrababu at a public function to be held at Nagarjuna Nagar between Vijayawada and Guntur at 7.27 PM. Some Cabinet ministers will also be sworn-in, but their exact number is not known yet.

A host of dignitaries, including 15 Union ministers, six Chief Ministers of various states, film stars and veteran BJP leaders like LK Advani and Murali Manohar Joshi, besides chief ministers of Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Odisha, Punjab and Goa are expected to attend, sources said.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister's attendance is not confirmed yet, according to Chief Secretary IYR Krishna Rao and Director General of Police JV Ramudu. Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and YSR Congress president YS Jaganmohan Reddy will not be attending the swearing-in though Chandrababu has extended personal invitations to them.

Soon after taking oath, Chandrababu will sign a file relating to waiver of crop loans to farmers and also loans to women self-help groups. Modalities for the waiver will, however, be worked out subsequently. Chandrababu had been talking about waiving off the crop loans in the campaigning.

He may also sign a second file ordering closure of all "belt shops" (unauthorised liquor vends in villages) across the state, TDP sources said.

The "NTR Sujala", the scheme for supply of safe drinking water to rural habitations, is also likely to be cleared on the occasion. It is also expected that Chandrababu may also announce the location of the Capital for the new state, though Hyderabad will be the "common capital" for Telangana and AP for ten years.