KCR takes oath as Chief Minister of Telangana for second term

Naveen S Garewal
Tribune News Service 
Hyderabad, December 13 

A day after being unanimously elected leader of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) Legislative party leader, K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) was sworn in as chief minister of Telangana for the second consecutive term on Thursday.

Governor ESL Narasimhan administered oath of office to Chandrashekhar and another minister in a simple but impressive ceremony.

Mohammad Mehboob Ali, former deputy chief minister in the previous government, was the only minister inducted into the cabinet. Barring elected legislators, state’s bureaucrats and All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen Chief Asaduddin Owaisi, no other prominent national or opposition leader was present on the occasion. This assumes significance in view of KCR announcing a consortium of regional parties to float a national party for the 2019 Parliamentary polls.

KCR took oath in Telugu, while Mohammad Mehboob Ali, who was sworn-in a Cabinet minister, took oath in Urdu.

Mahamood Ali has been allotted home portfolio.

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi was invited as a special guest. Owaisi said that his party would support the government but not join despite getting an invite to be part of the government from KCR.

KCR’s wife, MLA son KT Rama Rao, his Parliamentarian daughter K. Kavitha and their families attend the ceremony. 

Shortly afterwards, KCR said that he would expand the cabinet within 10 days. TRS won 88 of the state’s 119-member assembly. Its strength in the House is now up to 90 after two more MLAs extended their airport to TRS and are likely to merge with the party.

TRS can only have 18 ministers in the cabinet.

Congress-led 'Praja Kutami' (people’s alliance) ended with 21 seats in the December 7 elections. The BJP won one seat and AIMIM won 7.