8 Andhra Pradesh ministers take charge

Hyderabad: The Andhra Pradesh Secretariat came alive on Sunday as eight ministers, including the two deputy Chief Ministers, assumed charge and occupied their official chambers. Though the ministers had been sworn in on June 8 along with Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, they waited for an auspicious muhurtham which was on Sunday. Eminent astrologer Bharani Shankar said the tidhi (dasami), nakshatram (Aswini) and even aaadivaaram (Sunday) made a good time which would ensure success for the ministers.

Right from 7.45 am to 12.30 pm, minister after minister took charge and the Secretariat was full of family members, friends, relatives and supporters of the new ministers. Flowers, sweets and shawls were distributed on the occasion amid chants of mantras by priests.

According to astrologers, 12 noon to 12.10 pm, during which deputy Chief Minister K.E. Krishna Murthy took charge, was really auspicious and was known as  abhijit lagnam. Meanwhile, several people were confused and were inconvenienced due to the barricades erected between the AP and Telangana Secretariats. The rush was so much  that one of the lifts in J Block got stuck due to too many people getting into it. They had to be rescued by technicians.