Hyderabad, Feb 11th: : Y S Vijayalakshmi, wife of former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister late Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, took oath as MLA on Thursday. She was elected unopposed from the Pulivendula Assembly constituency as the seat fell vacant following the death of her husband, who was killed in a helicopter crash on September 2 last year when he was on his way to Chittoor to attend a 'mass contact' programme. State Assembly Speaker N Kirankumar Reddy administered the oath to her, four days ahead of the budget session of the House, beginning on February 15.

As she took the oath and signed the papers, Ms Vijayalakshmi broke down into tears. Flanked by Congress MP and her son Y S Jaganmohan Reddy and the state political advisor and YSR's close friend and Rajya Sabha member K V P Ramachandra Rao, she took oath in the name of God. Pradesh Congress President D Srinivas and All India Congress Committee Secretary P Sudhakar Reddy were among the large number of Congress leaders who graced the occasion. Though Ms Vijayalakshmi was initially reluctant to enter the poll fray, she relented as the Congress High Command insisted.