As Chief Minister

As Chief Minister

He was elected as the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh by the Legislature party of the Indian National Congress after they later won 185 seats of the Legislative Assembly in the May 2004 elections. He has initiated a variety of programs that influence the Economy Of AndraPradesh and for the benefit of the common people and farming community. Prominent among them are:

• JalaYagnam – A large-scale program to construct more than 70 pending irrigation projects in the state to improve irrigation facilities to the farmers, with a targeted irrigation to 1.2 Crore acres of land.
• Free power supply for farmers for 7 hours a day.
• Rajiv Arogya Shree – A Health insurence emergency services scheme for rural masses where the government pays the entire price of any surgery up to 200,000 rupee and does not require people to pay any
• Pavala Vaddi — a program that provides loans to people at 3% per year so as to encourage them to take up small scale businesses and entrepreneurship primarily targeted at rural women
• Indiramma illu — a program for construction of houses for the rural masses by charging a small amount and the government the remaining amount
• Rs 2/KG of rice scheme,
• Increase in the minimum support price for rice.
• Reimbursement of full college fees for backward sections, reservations for minorities,

Apart from these schemes, his government stood as the role model in implementing the central governments flagship program – the NREGA. The opposition parties led by TDP allege corruption and favoritism in the implementation of some schemes.

His tenure also saw significant weakening of the violent extremist left-wing Naxalite movement that was rampant in the state when he assumed office in . The movement was so intense that the former chief minister ChandraBabuNaidu's car was blasted by them in Oct 2003.