Akhilesh Yadav took a dig at the BJP on its grand swearing in ceremony. (File)
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Friday took a dig at the new BJP government in Uttar Pradesh saying its ministers led by Yogi Adityanath took oath at a stadium built when his own government was in power.
The swearing-in ceremony was held at Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Stadium, which can accommodate 50,000 people.
"Congratulations to the new government that they are taking oath in the stadium built by the Samajwadi Party. The oath should not be merely to form the government, but also to serve the people in a true sense," Mr Yadav, who is also the former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, said in a Hindi tweet, minutes after the grand ceremony concluded.
Earlier this week, he chose to quit as an MP after being elected MLA in the recent Uttar Pradesh election, turning his focus in a big way towards state politics and consolidating his vote-bank ahead of the 2024 national election.
Mr Yadav's main opponent the state elections, Adityanath was unanimously elected the BJP legislature party leader in Uttar Pradesh on Thursday, after which he staked claim to form the government and then was sworn in.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and several Union Ministers were present at the grand ceremony in Lucknow's Ekana Stadium. Chief Ministers of the BJP ruled states and party leaders also attended the oath-taking ceremony.
The monk-turned politician will take the reins of the most populous state for a second time in a row after completing his full five-year term - a feat repeated after 37 years.
The BJP won 255 seats in Uttar Pradesh with its allies in the state also registering impressive performance. The chief minister is expected to carry the momentum of the party's electoral victory to fulfill the poll promises and give a further push for the development of the state in his second term.