Bhupendra Patel was sworn in as chief minister of Gujarat for a second term today afternoon, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, union ministers Amit Shah, Smriti Irani, and Rajnath Singh, and leaders of states ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party or their allies, in attendance.
The BJP claimed a landslide in the prime minister's state last week, claiming 156 of 182 seats.
Apart from Bhupendra Patel, governor Acharya Devvrat also administered the oath to 16 newly elected MLAs who will from the chief minister's 2.0 cabinet.
Patel – who won his first election in 2017 from Ghatlodia – defended the seat in this round of polling – by a massive 1.92 lakh votes, earning praise from the prime minister. Patel was selected as chief minister only in September last year, replacing Vijay Rupani as the BJP sought to ward of anti-incumbency in the prime minister's home state.
The BJP's final number of seats represents a record tally, beating the 127 it won in 2002 (when Modi was chief minister) and the 149 the Congress won under Madhavsinh Solanki in 1985.
The event was also attended by 200 sadhus from the state, who have been specially invited for the ceremony.
The audience also included members from Other Backward Classes, Scheduled Castes and Tribes and women – seen as key vote bank for the 2024 Lok Sabha and then 2026 state elections.