Jagan Mohan Reddy sworn in as Andhra Chief Minister, thousands of people attend

After a heated political campaign and a sweeping victory, Jagan Mohan Reddy took charge as the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh on Thursday as Governor ESL Narasimhan administered the oath of office and secrecy to the YSRCP chief at the Indira Gandhi Municipal Stadium in Vijayawada, amid huge cheers from the thousands of people who had gathered to witness the event. 46-year-old Jagan, who led his YSRCP to power with a landslide victory, took his oath alone and is expected to constitute the cabinet on June 7. Soon after he took oath, Jagan received blessings from religious leaders of Christian, Muslim and Hindu communities, who chanted prayers and sang hymns on stage. Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, DMK leader M K Stalin and leaders of various political parties participated in the swearing-in ceremony along with his family members, including his mother YS Vijayamma, sister YS Sharmila and wife Bharathi. Congress MP KVP Ramachandra Rao, who was a close aide of Jagan's father and former Andhra CM YS Rajasekhar Reddy, also attended the event on the YSRCP chief's invite. Others like director Ram Gopal Varma were also present. Read: From YSR’s shadow to seizing Amaravati, the euphoric rise of Jagan Mohan Reddy   Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief and former Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu had turned down Jagan's invite. However, he decided to send a delegation of party leaders, along with a congratulatory message."Congratulations to the new Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh. I request you to strive for the state's wholesome development, resolving the problems of the people, the welfare of the poor. As a responsible Leader of Opposition we would give constructive cooperation in the implementation of welfare schemes. On this occasion on behalf of TDP, I congratulate you," Naidu said in a statement. On Thursday morning, all roads in the city led to the stadium as hordes of people found their way to there, forcing the police to block off several routes. There was a sense of jubilation among YSRCP supporters, who travelled from across the state to witness the ceremony. "We are hopeful of Jagan's good governance. We didn't get any assistance from the earlier government and we have to migrate for a livelihood. Now that Jagan's government is taking charge, we hope that it will work for the betterment of farmers and unemployed youth like us," said J Murali, who travelled from Madakasira in Anantapur district along with a group of friends. Shankaraiah, a young farmer from Kurnool said, "This should be a new beginning. We hope the neglected areas will be accorded development projects." However, visitors also expressed dissatisfaction over the arrangements and said that adequate measures were not taken to accommodate all the people who showed up. Narasimhan, who is the Governor of both Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, reached Vijayawada on Wednesday. Jagan Reddy called on him at a hotel and informed him of the arrangements made for the swearing-in.    Earlier, Vijayawada Police Commissioner Dwarka Tirumala Rao and senior officials reviewed the security arrangements. On the eve of taking oath as the second Chief Minister of the new state of Andhra Pradesh, Jagan on Wednesday visited various places of worship and also visited the grave of his father and late Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhar Reddy. The YSRCP chief offered prayers at Tirupati temple. He later visited Amin Peer dargah in Kadapa district and offered a 'chadar'. Jagan also paid obeisance at the grave of his father in home town of Idupulapaya in Kadapa disrtrict. He along with family members participated in prayers at the CSI church. On his return to Vijayawada, Jagan offered prayers at famous Indrakeeladri temple. The YSRCP stormed to power in the state last Thursday, bagging 151 seats in 175-member Assembly. They also swept the Lok Sabha polls, winning 22 out of the 25 MP seats in the state. Also read:  The men and women behind Jagan Mohan Reddy's long road to victory The loyalists and senior leaders who might make it to Jagan's cabinet in Andhra