Bharatiya Janata Party’s Bhupendra Patel on December 12 took oath as Chief Minister of Gujarat for a second straight term, days after the party won with a thumping majority of 156 seats in the recently held Assembly election.
Patel was administered oath as the 18th Chief Minister at the helipad ground in Gandhinagar in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Along with Patel, the new council of ministers was also sworn in.
The oath ceremony was witnessed by many Chief Ministers of the BJP-ruled states, union ministers, and national-level leaders including party president JP Nadda.
Bhupendra Patel, who is considered as the party’s soft-spoken face in Gujarat has taken oath for the second consecutive term has been a dedicated worker, who made his way up in state politics from the municipality level. Before taking the Chief Minister post in September 2021, the 60-year-old Patel was not a known face outside Ahmedabad or within party circles.
He was a surprise choice for the top post when the BJP decided to replace Vijay Rupani and bring in a Patel community face.
The BJP, which has been ruling the state since 1995 recorded a historic and seventh consecutive victory on December 8. However, the main opposition Congress, which had performed well in 2017 could only win 17 seats this time, while the Aam Aadmi Party opened its account in the state with five seats.
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