Jagan Reddy hosts lunch to KCR, Stalin; gives PM's ceremony a miss

New Delhi, May 30: Capping a landslide election victory, Modi will take oath along with his new council of ministers at 7 pm. However, YSR Congress chief Yeduguri Sandinti Jagan Mohan Reddy who sworn-in as as the second chief minister of Andhra Pradesh post its bifurcation and his Telangana counterpart K Chandrashekar Rao will not be attending the swearing-in ceremony this evening. Both leaders had accepted invitations to the ceremony and were expected to leave for Delhi this afternoon.

It is learnt that Reddy hosted a lunch that was attended by KCR and DMK chief MK Stalin who was also present at the ceremony.

Earlier in the day, Jaganmohan Reddy, 46, took the oath in Telugu at 12.23 pm amid thunderous cheers by scores of party leaders and workers in a brief ceremony at the IGMC Stadium in Vijayawada.

The YSR Congress bagged 151 of the 175 seats in the state Assembly, decimating the TDP headed by N Chandrababu Naidu, who became the first chief minister of the state after it was bifurcated to carve out Telangana five years ago. YSRC also won 22 of the 25 Lok Sabha seats.

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, DMK chief M K Stalin and Puducherry Health Minister Malladi Krishna Rao were the special guests.

Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Mahmood Ali, Assembly Speaker Pocharam Srinivasa Reddy, minister Talasani Srinivasa Yadav also attended the swearing-in ceremony.

He got a hero's welcome as he reached the venue in an open jeep with folded hands, with hundreds of party workers and supporters cheering as his convoy passed.