Prez rule in Telangana to be revoked on June 2; to continue in Andhra Pradesh

New Delhi, Jun 1: President's rule imposed in united Andhra Pradesh will be revoked partially tomorrow to facilitate swearing-in of a government in the newly-created Telangana headed by TRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao.

However, the central rule will continue in the residual Andhra Pradesh till TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu takes charge as Chief Minister a week later. A notification is expected to be issued tomorrow morning revoking President's rule in Telangana to facilitate Rao in taking charge as the first Chief Minister of the country's 29th state.

The notification will clarify that the President's rule will continue in residuary Andhra Pradesh till Naidu takes oath as Chief Minister possibly on June 8, official sources said.

President's rule was imposed in Andhra Pradesh on March 1 after N Kiran Kumar Reddy resigned as Chief Minister following Parliament's nod for bifurcation of the state to create separate Telangana.

Rao's party Telangana Rashtra Samiti won 63 of the 119 assembly seats in Telangana in the recent elections while Nadu's Telugu Desam Party, along with ally BJP, bagged 106 of the 175 assembly seats in Seemandhra.

Sources said that before Rao is sworn-in as Chief Minister, Andhra Pradesh Governor E S L Narasimhan, who was given the additional charge of the proposed state of Telangana, will himself have to take oath.

Hectic work is on in the Union Home Ministry and in Andhra Pradesh government for smooth division of the state on June 2, the appointed day, official sources said.

Narasimhan on Friday said the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh will be a smooth affair and all people, irrespective of their domicile, will be safe in Telangana.

The Governor also met Home Minister Rajnath Singh here and had a detailed discussion with him about the ongoing process of bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh. He conveyed to him that all arrangements have been made for creation of Telangana on the appointed day -- June 2.

"Bifurcation will be a smooth affair," Narasimhan told reporters on Friday. Official sources said the provisional allocation of officers belonging to all India services like IAS and IPS and provisional allocation of state government officials to Telangana and residuary Andhra Pradesh have been done.

The administration of the two states will function from the existing secretariat complex in Hyderabad where separate buildings or blocks were identified for use of Telangana and residuary Andhra Pradesh.

The existing Assembly building of united Andhra Pradesh will function as the Assembly of Telangana while an adjacent building in the same complex will function as the Assembly of the residuary Andhra Pradesh.

MLAs will take oath in separate dates as the legislators of the respective state. Sources said assets located in the undivided Andhra Pradesh will be divided among the two states but the process will take time -- could be a few years.

Assets located outside the state, like Andhra Bhavan in Delhi, will continue to remain as property of both the states till settlement of its ownership.

Rooms in Andhra Bhavan in Delhi will be divided among the two states so that these could be used by people, officials, legislators, ministers and Chief Ministers of the two states without any dispute.

PTI