Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief N. Chandrababu Naidu on Sunday took oath as chief minister of Andhra Pradesh here.

Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan administered the oath to Naidu near Guntur town in the presence of tens of thousands of people.

Senior BJP leader L.K. Advani, Home Minister Rajnath Singh, union ministers Ananth Kumar and M. Venkaiah Naidu, the chief ministers of Punjab, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Goa and Nagaland and leaders of various parties attended the swearing-in ceremony.

A total of 19 ministers took oath along with Naidu. Two of them – K.E. Krishna Murthy and Chinnarajappa – will be deputy chief ministers.

TDP supporters celebrated the occasion by bursting firecrackers.

There was utter chaos at the venue, with police repeatedly using force to control the crowd.

During the poll campaign, Naidu promised to have two deputy chief ministers from the backward class and Kapu communities.

The TDP has given two cabinet berths to its ally, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

K. Srinivas and Manikyala Rao are the representatives from the BJP.

Senior TDP leaders Y. Ramakrishnudu, B. Gopalakrishna Reddy, Paritala Sunita and P. Raghunath Reddy will take oath as ministers. Ramakrishnudu is a member of the legislative council.

P. Narayana, who runs Narayana Group of educational institutions, is the surprise choice as he is not a member of either house of the state legislature.

Naidu will be the first chief minister of residual Andhra Pradesh after the separate Telangana state was carved out June 2.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Sunday extended his best wishes to N. Chandrababu Naidu as he will take oath as the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh and assured him of “all possible help”.

Modi tweeted: “As Chandrababu Naidu takes oath as CM of Andhra Pradesh (Sunday) this evening, I convey my best wishes to him and his team in developing the state.”

“The Centre is committed to extending all possible help to the people and government of Andhra Pradesh,” he added.

He also said: “Chandrababu Garu’s administrative experience and commitment to development will be a great asset in taking Andhra Pradesh to newer heights.”

Telugu Desam Party chief Naidu will take oath as the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh along with 18 ministers.

Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan will administer the oath of office and secrecy to Naidu and ministers Sunday at 7.27 p.m. at a public event at the Acharya Nagarjuna University near Guntur town in south coastal Andhra.

Naidu has earlier served as the chief minister of the undivided Andhra Pradesh. The bill to bifurcate the state was brought in parliament during the UPA’s rule. 

The 64-year-old earlier served as the chief minister of undivided Andhra Pradesh from 1995 to 2004. He was leader of opposition for nearly a decade.

The TDP bagged 102 seats in 175-member Andhra Pradesh assembly. Its ally BJP won four seats.