Chandrababu Naidu sworn in as CM of Andhra Pradesh for fourth time

Of 24 ministers in TDP supremo Naidu's Cabinet, 17 are newcomers

Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief Nara Chandrababu Naidu took oath as chief minister of Andhra Pradesh on Wednesday at a packed Kesarapalli IT Park near Vijayawada, in Krishna district. 

With it, Naidu began his fourth term as chief minister of the state. While setting this record, he broke the one set by his father-in-law and party founder NT Rama Rao, a three-time chief minister of the state.

Like NTR, Naidu’s five-decade long journey too was full of ups and downs.

In his first term, which started in 1995, Naidu laid the foundation of the now-flourishing software industry in Hyderabad. He wanted to turn the city into ‘Cyberabad’ by 2020. 

 

Naidu earned the sobriquet of the ‘CEO CM’ due to his style of functioning which drew heavily from the corporate culture.

Cut to 2024, he was in jail after being booked by State CID in a money laundering case. Several experts had written his political obituary. But that turned out to be premature.

After his release on bail, Naidu, who is 75 years old now, led the party to a thumping victory. He also won 16 out of 25 Lok Sabha seats, becoming a crucial cog in the NDA government at the Centre. The TDP-led coalition, which also included BJP and actor Pawan Kalyan’s Janasena Party (JSP), bagged 164 out of the 175 seats.

On Wednesday, when Naidu took oath along with 24 others -- including his son Nara Lokesh — Prime Minister Narendra Modi and a bevy of central and state leaders were in attendance. Cine superstars like Rajinikanth and Chiranjeevi too were there.

The city of Vijayawada was draped in yellow, the colour of TDP.  Big posters of Modi, Naidu, his son Lokesh and deputy chief minister and JSP chief Pawan Kalyan were put up days before the swearing in ceremony. None of the over 200 listed hotels in the city had rooms available on Tuesday, according to an online travel major.

Union ministers Amit Shah, Nitin Gadkari, JP Nadda, Chirag Paswan and Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde also flew to the city to attend the ceremony. Former vice president M Venkaiah Naidu, former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O Panneerselvam and former Chief Justice of India NV Ramana were also among the dignitaries.

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At 9 am, the venue came alive to entertainment and cultural programs as thousands of party workers and locals cheered for Naidu and his team.

When Andhra Pradesh Governor S Abdul Nazeer administered the oath to Naidu around 11.30 am, the venue burst into huge applause. At the same time, party workers across the state celebrated the moment by bursting crackers and distributing sweets, reported the local media. After the oath, Modi hugged and patted Naidu.

Later, the prime minister held hands with Chiranjeevi and Kalyan. Naidu retained his Kuppam constituency while Kalyan and Lokesh won from Pithapuram and Mangalagiri assembly segments in the recently held polls.

In the 25-member Cabinet, the JSP has got three berths while BJP one. As the state assembly has 175 members, its cabinet strength can be 26, including the chief minister. On Tuesday, the NDA had elected Naidu as their leader. 

After that, Naidu had announced that Amaravati will be the sole capital of the state.

Previous chief minister Jagan Mohan Reddy had floated a three capital theory, proposing Visakhapatnam as the executive capital, Amaravati the legislative capital and Kurnool judicial capital. 

Naidu’s dream of Amaravati, conceived during his first tenure as the chief minister of bifurcated Andhra Pradesh between 2014 and 2019, faced a setback under Reddy’s YSR Congress Party’s government.

G Murali Krishna, Vice Chairman, CII Andhra Pradesh said that Naidu’s rich experience and leadership resonates in the developmental initiatives to build Andhra Pradesh as an economic powerhouse.

“CII is excited and eager to work with the new government towards making VIKASIT Andhra Pradesh,” he said.

“Naidu’s legendary reputation as an economic reformer and a proponent of growth through modernisation and technology is well known. His resilience and ability to drive forward his vision for growth, has catapulted Andhra Pradesh from a state entity to a global presence. Industry and business look forward to vibrant times ahead with progress and development, and regain the position of the state in the top-three rung of state economies in the country,” said VL Indira Dutt, President of Andhra Chamber of Commerce.