Hyderabad, May 12: Governor S S Barnala today invited 55-year-old doctor-turned-politician Yeduguri Sandinti Rajasekhara Reddy to form the government in the state.
Reddy who was unanimously elected as leader of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) here today thanked people of the state for reposing faith in him.
The Rayalaseema strongman who steered congress to a landslide victory in Andhra Pradesh ending the party's ten-year political drought, will be sworn-in as the new Chief Minister of the state on May 14.
The election of the 55-year-old doctor turned politician, popularly known as YSR, as leader of the Congress legislature party was quick and smooth, not in usual congress style, at a meeting of the new MLAs a day after the party swept to power in a landslide ousting the TDP government.
Widely seen as the chief ministerial candidate even in the run up to the elections, Reddy's name was proposed by APCC President D Srinivas, who was also said to have been one of the aspirants, and seconded by senior leader K Ranga Rao.
The two-hour long CLP meeting was supervised by AICC observers Ghulam Nabi Azad and Shivraj Patil.

The meeting earlier resolved to leave the final decision on leadership to party president Sonia Gandhi. Soon after, the central observers spoke to Gandhi who endorsed the candidature of Reddy.

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Reddy was the CLP leader and leader of the opposition in the dissolved assembly and had been a member of the Lok Sabha for four terms earlier representing Cuddapah constituency.

Talking to reporters Reddy, the chief architects of the landslide Congress victory in Andhra, said he would select his cabinet after holding talks with the senior party leaders.

Talking about swearing-in ceremony, he said, “It would a public affair.”

The venue of swearing-in ceremony will be announced later.
Bureau Report