Kiran Kumar Reddy becomes 16th Andhra Pradesh CM

Hyderabad : Kiran Kumar Reddy (KKR), who was the Assembly Speaker, on Thursday became the 16th Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh.

He was sworn in as the new CM by Governor E. S. L. Narasimhan after K Rosaiah resigned on Wednesday citing health reasons.

However, Rosaiah attended KKR?s swearing-in ceremony with Union Law Minister Veerappa Moily and Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad.

After the function, KKR visited patients admitted under Rajiv Arogyasri health insurance scheme at Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS).

With KKR?s swearing-in ceremony, for the first time ever, an Indian state got a Chief Minister, Leader of Opposition and leader of its third largest party from the same district.

KKR represents Pileru constituency, while Leader of Opposition N Chandrababu Naidu represents Kuppam and Praja Rajyam Party president K Chiranjeevi is from Tirupati Assembly constituency of Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh.

The naming of the CM’s successor has surprised many including Reddy (50), a four-time legislator from Rayalseema region and a Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy (YSR) loyalist.

Congress President Sonia Gandhi cleared KKR’s name on phone to Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee in Hederabad.

Rosaiah stepped down as AP CM, ending a 15-month tenure plagued by the separate Telangana statehood movement and dissidence by his predecessor, YS Rajasekhara Reddy’s son, Jaganmohan Reddy.

Congress in AP faces two nagging challenges- a prickly Jagan Mohan Reddy and the Telangana issue-, which must be juggled by the new CM.

“There are a lot of challenges ahead of me. I think with the cooperation of all the legislators and my party and the officers of the state I think, we can overcome all the problems,” said Kiran Kumar Reddy.

Reddy was first elected to the state Assembly from Vayalpadu constituency in Chittoor district in 1989 but the lost the election in 1994. In 1999 and 2004, he was elected successively from the same constituency. He had to shift to Pileru constituency in 2009 because of delimitation.

He has played first-class cricket for Hyderabad. He was very close to the former chief minister YSR, but reportedly has strained relations with YSR’s son, Jagan Mohan Reddy.