Sweating it out: No AC in new Andhra Pradesh Assembly

Hyderabad: The first session of the AP Legislative Assembly, post-bifurcation, began here on Thursday with Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu taking the oath at 11.52 am followed by Leader of Opposition Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, Deputy Chief Ministers K.E. Krishnamurthy and N. China Rajappa, and other ministers and legislators.

Senior legislator P. Narayanaswamy Naidu, who was administered the oath as the pro tem Speaker by Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan at Raj Bhavan earlier during the day, administered the oaths to all the legislators in the Assembly.

The AP Assembly is meeting in the old Assembly building, which is 100 years old and does not have centralised air conditioning. Though some air conditioners were fixed temporarily in the old building, it was insufficient and many members were seen sweating while taking their oaths. Even the sound system gave problems initially.

The oath-taking began exactly at 11.52 am, an auspicious time fixed by astrologers.

The TD members wore yellow party khanduvas and the YSR Congress legislators their party khanduvas. After Mr Naidu and Mr Jagan Mohan Reddy, it was Hindupur MLA and actor N. Balakrishna of the TD who received thunderous applause when he walked up to the podium to take the oath. Mr Naidu had left the House by the time his turn came. Women members got preference in oath-taking after ministers. In the Assembly, except for the YSRC, there was not a single member from other Opposition parties like the Congress, Samaik-yandhra Party, CPI and the CPM. Though the BJP has four MLAs, it is an alliance partner of TD. Only 173 members took oath on Thursday as two seats fell vacant following the death of Bhuma Shobha Nagi Reddy of the YSRC and T. Prabhakara Rao of the TD.