The stage is set for the swearing-in of Anumula Revanth Reddy as the next Chief Minister of Telangana on Thursday, amid a sea of humanity. Mr. Reddy will take oath at 1:04 p.m. instead of 10:28 a.m. fixed earlier at the Lal Bahadur Stadium. Elaborate arrangements are in place for the grand spectacle to be attended by the who’s who of the Congress party.
In a keenly fought election, Congress trounced Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) by winning 64 seats and leaving the ruling party with 39 seats. The Congress Legislature Party leader himself extended an open invitation to the people, which he termed as the ‘People’s Government’s Oath Taking ceremony’.
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State DGP Ravi Gupta visited LB Stadium to ensure fool-proof arrangements at the venue for the mega event on Thursday. A large number of VVIP invitees are expected to attend the ceremony, including United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi, All India Congress Committee (AICC) president Mallikarjun Kharge, senior leaders Priyanka Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, K.C. Venugopal and other AICC functionaries from Delhi, apart from chief ministers and party functionaries of several other states.
Tight security
Speaking about the tight security, Mr. Ravi Gupta said that 1,500 police personnel, including the Telangana State Service Police (TSSP), Law and Order, Armed Reserve (AR) Forces, Traffic and other departments, have been deployed for the bandobust.
Meanwhile, in an open letter, Mr. Revanth Reddy wrote that the “time has come for Indiramma Rajyam, which will fulfil the aspirations of all of us in Telangana, which was formed by the struggle of students, the sacrifice of martyrs and the steel determination of Sonia Gandhi.” He added that “he aims to form a government for the welfare of the weaker sections, Dalits, tribals, people from minority communities, farmers, women and the youth. “This is an invitation to all of you to come to this mahotsavam,” his letter concluded.
Congress invites heads of all INDIA parties
The Congress has sent out invitations to heads of all INDIA parties to the swearing-in of Mr. Reddy. Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi will be attending the event. The Trinamool Congress, which skipped the meeting of the INDIA parties’s floor leaders, will be present in Hyderabad for the event. CPI general secretary D. Raja also confirmed his presence. Several other allies are expected to share the stage with Mr. Reddy.
