Gujarat CM oath ceremony: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Bhupendra Bhai Patel will take oath as the Chief Minister of Gujarat for a second straight term in Gandhinagar on Monday (December 12) in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other dignitaries, said BJP leaders today.
Patel will be administered the oath as the 18th chief minister by Governor Acharya Devvrat at a function to be held at the Helipad Ground near the new Secretariat in Gandhinagar at around 2:00 pm.
Besides the prime minister, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and chief ministers of other BJP-ruled states are set to attend the swearing-in ceremony, said BJP sources. Along with Patel, some new ministers are also expected to take the oath.
In the just-concluded Gujarat Assembly elections, counting for which was held on December 8 (Thursday), the BJP won a seventh straight term by winning record 156 seats in the 182-member House. The Congress won 17 constituencies and AAP 5.
Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel (60) on Friday submitted his resignation to Governor Acharya Devvrat after BJP registered a historic win in the State Assembly elections ahead of the formation of his new government. CM Patel along with state BJP President CR Paatil, MoS Home Harsh Sanghavi, Minister of Health and Family Welfare Rushikesh Patel, and Chief Whip of Gujarat Pankaj Desai reached Raj Bhavan on Friday (December 9) at around 12:00 pm to tender the resignation of the government, which was accepted by the Governor.
He was elected as the leader of the BJP legislative party on Saturday (December 10). He met the governor and staked the claim to form the next government. Patel won the Ghatlodia seat with the highest margin of around 1.92 lakh votes in the elections. A low-profile BJP leader and the first from the Kadva Patidar sub-group to become CM, Patel replaced Vijay Rupani in September 2021.
Meanwhile, hectic consultations are going on in BJP for picking ministerial candidates against the backdrop of the historic mandate given the party will have to walk the tightrope of balancing caste and regional representations, sources said.
MLAs Kanu Desai, Raghavji Patel, Rushikesh Patel, Harsh Sanghavi, Shankar Chaudhary, Purnesh Modi, Manisha Vakil, Ramanlal Vora and Raman Patkar are among those expected to be inducted in the ministry, they added.
Who will attend swearing-in ceremony?
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will attend the swearing-in ceremony of Bhupendra Patel who will take oath as the Chief Minister of Gujarat for the second consecutive time on Monday. The ceremony will also be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Union Home minister Amit Shah.
As per sources, about 20 cabinet ministers will also take oath on the same day, that is Monday, along with Bhupendra Patel and will take charge of their respective offices, the very next day.
BJP swept the Gujarat Assembly election with a whooping 156 seats, which is the highest number of seats any party has won after the formation of the state in the year 1960. The Congress secured 17 seats, AAP secured 5, with 1 for SP and 3 Independent candidates will be in the newly-formed Gujarat Assembly along with 156 BJP candidates. The BJP's seventh consecutive Assembly poll win in Gujarat is its biggest since the founding of this state in 1960.
In the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, the BJP has smashed all previous records of electoral performance.Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel, too, scripted history, winning the Ghatlodia constituency by a record margin of about 1,92,000 votes. This constituency has given Gujarat two of its chief ministers - Anandiben Patel and the current CM.
In the last Assembly elections in 2017, BJP won 99 seats, Congress trailed close at 77 and NCP, BTP and Independent candidates secured 1, 2 and 3 seats, respectively.
(With agencies inputs)
ALSO READ: Rajnath, Yediyurappa and Munda appointed observers for Gujarat BJP Legislature party meet
