Kiran Kumar Reddy to take oath as Andhra Pradesh CM

Andhra Pradesh Assembly Speaker Kiran Kumar Reddy will be sworn in as the new Chief Minister of the state on Thursday after K Rosaiah resigned on Wednesday citing health reasons.

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

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

The swearing-in ceremony is scheduled to be held at 12:15 pm.

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.