Mega ceremony at LB Stadium: New CM @ 1.04 pm

Hyderabad: The stage is set for the mega swearing-in ceremony of the new chief minister of Telangana A Revanth Reddy at LB Stadium on Thursday at 1.04 pm. The Congress party wants the swearing-in ceremony should become the most important and gala event in the history of Telangana. The Chief Minister-designate Revanth Reddy has personally invited Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, Mallikarjuna Kharge and host of other AICC leaders for the swearing-in ceremony. He also invited his political guru N Chandrababu Naidu, AP Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, BRS president and former Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin.

Invitations to former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, former Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chauhan, former in-charges Digvijay Singh, Veerappa Moily, Kuntia, Vayalar Ravi, Manickam Tagore, Chidambaram, Meira Kumari, Sushil Kumar Shinde, Kurien and a few other leaders, who played a key role in the formation of Telangana have been sent.

In addition, he has given an open invitation to all the party workers to join the swearing-in ceremony. He has also invited families of 300 martyrs who died during the agitation for separate state and another 250 activists who had participated in the agitation.

Meanwhile, Revanth Reddy held detailed discussions with the party high command, including Sonia Gandhi. These leaders are learnt to have apprised Revanth about the political and administrative challenges which he may have to face after the initial euphoria of swearing in was over and the strategies he would have to adopt. He was also told not to take light the opposition BRS and be prepared to fight back effectively. He was also told about how the party needs to gear up for Lok Sabha polls and move forward unitedly.

Revanth is said to have explained his priorities, including the six guarantees to the leaders of the high command. He is learnt to have emphasised on having a balanced and efficient cabinet so that all assurances can be effectively implemented.