Tuesday, 3 June 2014 01:42
-
- {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
BBC: India’s southern state of Andhra Pradesh has formally split in two, with its northern area carved out to create a new state called Telangana.
The move followed prolonged protests by residents of Telangana, who felt the region had long been neglected.
Telangana, which officially came into existence at midnight local time, becomes the country’s 29th state.
With a population of 35 million, it comprises 10 former districts of Andhra Pradesh and the city of Hyderabad.
K. Chandrasekhar Rao, of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi party (TRS), which for 14 years spearheaded the movement for separation and will form the new state’s first government, has been sworn in as the Chief Minister for Telangana.
Hyderabad, which forms the joint capital of the two states for the next 10 years, was covered with pink balloons, banners and flags to mark Telangana’s statehood, says BBC Hindi’s Zubair Ahmed. Pink is the colour of the TRS.
