Chandrababu Naidu to be sworn in as Andhra CM today, PM Modi to be present

Telugu Desam Party supremo N Chandrababu Naidu is set to be sworn in as the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh on Wednesday, marking his fourth term in the post.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Union Ministers J P Nadda and Bandi Sanjay Kumar, and several other leaders are expected to attend the oath-taking ceremony.

The TDP chief is scheduled to take oath at 11.27 am near Gannavaram Airport in Kesarapalli on the outskirts of Vijayawada. Along with Naidu, Janasena chief Pawan Kalyan, the TDP supremo's son Nara Lokesh and 22 others are also expected to take the oath.

According to NDA sources, Pawan Kalyan has been offered the Deputy chief minister's post. Janasena is being offered three cabinet berths and the BJP one.

In the 175-member Andhra Pradesh Assembly, the cabinet can have 26 ministers, including the chief minister.

In separate meetings on Tuesday, the Telugu Desam Legislature Party and NDA partners elected Naidu as their leader.

Addressing the legislators, Naidu asserted that he is committed to developing Amaravati as the sole capital of the state.

"With all your cooperation, I am swearing in tomorrow (as the CM) and I would like to thank you all for that. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is coming for the swearing-in ceremony, Naidu said, adding he had sought cooperation from the Union government for Andhra Pradesh's development and it was "assured".

A senior state government official had earlier said Prime Minister Modi is expected to arrive at Gannavaram Airport by 10.40 am and reach the venue by 10.55 am. He is likely to depart for Bhubaneswar at 12.45 pm.

TDP sources said invitations have been extended to farmers who gave their land for the Amaravati capital project and also to some people who were allegedly harassed during the previous YSR Congress regime.

Naidu became chief minister of then undivided Andhra Pradesh for the first time in 1995 and served two consecutive terms. In 2014 he became the first chief minister of Andhra Pradesh post-bifurcation and served in the post till 2019.

Following a landslide victory in the 2024 elections, Naidu is returning as chief minister for the fourth term.

The NDA in Andhra Pradesh, comprising TDP, BJP and Janasena, secured a brute majority in the Assembly with 164 seats. In the Lok Sabha polls that were conducted simultaneously, the alliance got 21 of the 25 parliamentary constituencies in the state.