Y.S.R. Reddy buried, succession battle heats up

Tens of thousands of mourners shouted slogans and broke police barricades on Friday to catch a final glimpse of Y.S.R. Reddy, whose death has sparked a succession battle in Andhra Pradesh.

Y.S.R. Reddy who helped engineer the Congress party-led coalition's victory in a general election in May, was killed in a helicopter crash earlier this week, potentially weakening the party in Andhra Pradesh.

K. Rosaiah, the finance minister, was sworn in as caretaker chief minister until the party chooses a new leader, with several lawmakers favouring Reddy's son Jaganmohan, a first-term member of parliament from Reddy's home district of Kadapa.

A text message campaign, "Jagan as CM", is doing the rounds in the state, which has other contenders for the powerful post.

Schools and offices were shut and flags flew at half mast in Andhra Pradesh, where Congress leaders including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, party president Sonia Gandhi as well as leaders of the opposition paid their respects to "YSR", as he was known.

Thousands of mourners packed into a stadium in Hyderabad where Reddy's body was kept before it was flown in an army helicopter to his hometown Pulivendula for the burial on his family estate, beside his parents.

Reddy, who was known for championing popular causes and wooing investors, was given a state funeral, with Christian priests administering final rites.

Police beat back thousands of mourners holding aloft portraits and wreaths and shouting slogans of "Long Live YSR", as they broke past barricades to get closer to the coffin.

The cause of the helicopter crash, which killed all five on board in forested hills on Wednesday, has not been established.