Telangana Legislative Assembly begins amid bonhomie

Hyderabad: The tone for the first session of the newly-elected Telangana state Legislative Assembly commenced on Thursday was set by Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, who walked over to the Opposition benches and shook hands with TPCC president N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, bitter rivals in the recent Assembly elections that swept the TRS to power.

The first sitting was chaired by pro tem Speaker Mumtaz Ahmed Khan of the Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen.
Mr Rao, who was re-elected from Gajwel, took oath immediately after the session began with the singing of the National Anthem. Mr Rao, the Leader of the House, was the first to take oath.

He was followed by the women members, Ms A. Rekha Naik, Ms D. Anasuya, Ms Gongidi Sunitha, Ms Haripriya Banoth, Ms Padma Devender Reddy, and Ms P. Sabita Indra Reddy. A podium was set up in front of the well of the House for the members to take oath.