Gujarat BJP leader Bhupendra Patel took oath as the Chief Minister for the second time in a grand ceremony attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and other central ministers, in Gandhinagar today.
Mr Patel, who had replaced Vijay Rupani in September last year, was administered the oath by Governor Acharya Devvrat at a function near the new Secretariat this afternoon.
Sixteen ministers, including eight of cabinet rank, were also sworn in. 11 former ministers have also been retained.
The Cabinet ministers include Kanu Desai, Rishikesh Patel, Raghvji Patel, Balvantsinh Rajput, Kunvarji Bavaliya, Mulu Bera, Kuber Dindor and Bhanuben Babariya.
Harsh Sanghvi and Jagdish Vishwakarma were sworn in as ministers of state with independent charge.
The six other ministers of state include Parshottam Solanki, Bachu Khabad, Mukesh Patel, Praful Pansheriya, Kuverji Halpati and Bhikhusinh Parmar.
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.
Contrary to concerns about anti-incumbency, the BJP had achieved a landslide victory in just-concluded assembly elections in Gujarat - winning 156 of the state's 182 seats and 53 per cent vote share, paving the way for the party's seventh term in power in the western state.
Breaking his own record, Mr Patel once again won Ghatlodia seat by a margin of 1.92 lakh votes.
Mr Patel, 60, resigned as chief minister along with his entire cabinet on Friday to pave the way for the formation of a new government following the election results.
He was elected as the leader of the BJP legislative party on Saturday, after which he met the governor and staked the claim to form the next government.
A low-profile BJP leader and the first from the Kadva Patidar sub-group to hold the top post, Bhupendra Patel replaced Vijay Rupani in September 2021.
With inputs from PTI
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