Naidu's swearing-in to be a grand affair

HYDERABAD: Taking his cue from prime minister Narendra Modi, Telugu Desam president N Chandrababu Naidu is planning to organise his swearing-in as chief minister of Andhra Pradesh in an ostentatious manner by inviting as many leaders of national repute as possible to the event.

According to sources, Naidu, who will take oath in an open ground near Nagarjuna University on the Vijayawada-Guntur road on June 8, has decided to invite Modi to the event. He may also seek the attendance of Union home minister and BJP president Rajnath Singh along with other top leaders of the saffron party.

Naidu has also decided to invite the chief ministers of BJP-ruled states, and also those of Tamil Nadu, Odisha and Punjab _ Jayalalithaa, Naveen Patnaik and Prakash Singh Badal _ respectively.

As he will be becoming chief minister for the third time and also breaking his own record of longest tenure as Telugu CM, he wants to organise his oath-taking on a massive scale amid scores of people.

Strengthening this argument, Naidu, who had held a meeting with his party leaders belonging to Guntur and Krishna districts to oversee the arrangements for his swearing-in function at NTR Bhavan here on Thursday, asked them to mobilise huge crowds for the function.

The newly-elected MLAs of the party will hold the first TDLP meet at Tirupati on June 4 to unanimously elect Naidu as leader of the TDLP.

It was TDP founder NT Rama Rao, who had started the tradition of taking oath as chief minister outside the Raj Bhavan, the governor's residence, amid scores of people.

NTR was sworn in at LB Stadium here soon after his party's impressive victory in the 1983 Assembly elections. YS Rajasekhara Reddy also preferred to take oath as chief minister at the same venue when the Congress won the elections.

As far as Naidu is concerned, he had taken oath as CM at the Raj Bhavan on two occasions in the past. This time, he wants to follow in NTR's footsteps and organise his swearing-in ceremony as a spectacular event amid pomp and gaiety since his party has regained power after 10 years.

Swearing-in at 7 pm

Though the TDP chief had on Wednesday announced that he would be taking oath as CM of truncated AP at 11.45 am on June 8, according to party sources, he seems to be having second thoughts realising that these are dog days and the Vijayawada-Guntur belt would be blazing hot during May.

He has, therefore, changed the time from 11.45 am to 7 pm for the convenience of guests. 'Priests have fixed two muhurtams for the swearing-in _ 11.45 am and 7 pm. Our party chief may opt for the evening,' said senior leader JR Pushpa Raj.

It will be the Capital: Modugula

Former MP and MLA-elect from Guntur West segment Modugula Venugopal Reddy said the new capital of truncated AP would be set up between Vijayawada and Guntur. Hence Naidu's oath-taking as chief minister near Nagarjuna University, he added.