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KCR takes oath as Telangana chief minister for 2nd time, cabinet expansion soon
Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) president Kalvakuntla Chandrasekhar Rao was sworn in as the chief minister of India’s youngest state amid the chanting of vedic hymns at 1:25 p.m. on Thursday - a time chosen by priests as propitious for his second successive term in power.
Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) president Kalvakuntla Chandrasekhar Rao was sworn in as the chief minister of India’s youngest state amid the chanting of vedic hymns at 1:25 p.m. on Thursday - a time chosen by priests as propitious for his second successive term in power.
Andhra Pradesh and Telangana governor ESL Narasimhan administered the oaths of office and secrecy to Rao, popularly known as KCR, at a ceremony at the Raj Bhavan, which lasted five minutes. Senior TRS leader Mohammad Mahmood Ali was sworn in as a cabinet minister. He was a deputy chief minister in the previous term and is expected to retain the position this time, too.
The swearing-in ceremony took place two days after TRS won a landslide victory in the December 7 elections to the 119-member assembly, fending off a united challenge posed by the Maha Kootami - an alliance of the Congress, Telugu Desam Party, Communist Party of India and the Telangana Jana Samithi.
KCR took his oath in Telugu and Ali in Urdu. The ceremony was attended by newly-elected MLAs, senior party leaders, family members of the chief minister, and All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) president Asaduddin Owaisi.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter to congratulate KCR?for taking oath as Telangana chief minister for a second consecutive term.
“Congratulations to KCR Garu on taking oath as the CM of Telangana. Best wishes for his tenure ahead,” the PM said.
The chief minister known for his belief in rituals, consulted priests at the Lakshminarasimha Swamy temple in Yadadri, in Bhongir district near Hyderabad, to choose the auspicious time for his swearing-in ceremony.
Explaining the significance of the timing, head priest Lakshmi Narasimhacharya said, “The auspicious period will give KCR raja yoga. During this period, all the planets are in a top position and they will bring him good luck in whatever he does.”
According to TRS functionaries, the expansion of the cabinet is likely to take place on December 18.
Earlier, at the TRS legislature party meeting held on Wednesday, KCR said the cabinet will accommodate legislators from all sections, including scheduled castes and tribes, other backward classes and minorities.
