Governments led by the BJP and its ally, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), have assumed power in Odisha and Andhra Pradesh, respectively and in a morning event, TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu took oath as the Chief Minister of the state.
N Chandrababu Naidu took the oath as Chief Minister for the fourth time after his party achieved a significant victory in the Assembly polls, held concurrently with the general election.
నారా చంద్రబాబు నాయుడు అనే నేను.. #KutamiTsunami #NaraChandrababuNaidu #ChandrababuNaiduAneNenu #AndhraPradesh pic.twitter.com/l3C8IqVEm9
— Telugu Desam Party (@JaiTDP) June 12, 2024
Twenty-four members of his cabinet were also sworn in. The event, held on the outskirts of Vijayawada, was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and BJP chief and Health Minister JP Nadda. Prime Minister Modi congratulated Naidu with a hug following his oath-taking.
Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan also took the oath as Deputy Chief Minister. The Jana Sena, an NDA ally, secured 21 seats in the Assembly polls. Nara Lokesh, Naidu’s son and a TDP leader, was among the 22 others sworn in. The TDP’s support was crucial for the BJP in forming the government, as the BJP fell short of the 272 majority mark.
In the Modi 3.0 cabinet, the TDP has been allocated a cabinet minister berth and a Minister of State post, with Naidu pledging strong support for the NDA government led by Prime Minister Modi.
The NDA alliance, comprising the TDP, Jana Sena, and BJP, won 164 seats in the 175-member Assembly and dominated the Lok Sabha election, winning 21 of Andhra’s 25 seats, thereby overshadowing the incumbent YSR Congress Party.
In Odisha, Mohan Charan Majhi will take oath as Chief Minister in an afternoon ceremony, with Prime Minister Modi expected to attend. The BJP’s victory in these state polls ended the two-decade rule of the Biju Janata Dal and its leader Naveen Patnaik, who narrowly missed becoming the country’s longest-serving Chief Minister.
Majhi, a four-time MLA and tribal leader from the Keonjhar Assembly seat, was chosen as Chief Minister. The BJP has also appointed two Deputy Chief Ministers: KV Singh Deo, a six-time MLA from an erstwhile royal family and former minister in the Naveen Patnaik government, and Pravati Parida, a first-time MLA who previously led the state BJP women’s wing.
