Gujarat: Bhupendra Patel to take oath as CM today
Bhupendra Patel will take oath as the chief minister of Gujarat on Monday, heralding the BJP's seventh term in the state. The swearing-in ceremony will be attended by PM Narendra Modi, Union Ministers Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, and Nitin Gadkari, among others, and 200 sadhus. It will be held in Gandhinagar, where as many as 25 cabinet ministers will also take oath alongside Patel.
Why does this story matter?
Contrary to speculations of anti-incumbency in the state, the BJP marked an unprecedented landslide victory by clinching 156 of the total 182 state Assembly seats this time. It garnered a 53% vote share. To recall, the BJP replaced Vijay Rupani as CM with Patel in September 2021, which many saw as a move intended to woo the influential Patidar community, to which Patel belongs.
Detailed preparations made for the big event
Reportedly, three large stages have been set up for the event in Gandhinagar. Patel and his cabinet will be seated on the center stage while the one on the right is for Modi and notable dignitaries, and the left stage will accommodate 200 sadhus. Notably, Patidars, Other Backward Classes (OBCs), Scheduled Castes and Tribes (SCs/STs), and women will be given preference in the audience.
BJP's Mahila Morcha welcomes dignitaries
CMs of BJP-ruled states to attend ceremony
Meanwhile, CMs of other BJP-ruled states involved in the party's election campaign, along with BJP chief JP Nadda and senior leader BL Santhosh, will attend the ceremony. The list includes Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath, Assam's Himanta Biswa Sarma, Haryana's Manohar Lal Khattar, Madhya Pradesh's Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Karnataka's Basavaraj Bommai, Maharashtra's Eknath Shinde and his Deputy Devendra Fadnavis, and Uttarakhand's Pushkar Singh Dhami.
BJP pushed Congress, AAP to the sidelines
In the recently concluded Gujarat elections, the BJP made inroads into the SC/ST constituencies traditionally held by Congress, which was reduced to 17 seats. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) managed to bag five seats with nearly 13% vote share. Although the AAP had carried out a high-octane campaign, its key faces—state president Gopal Italia, Patidar leader Alpesh Kathiriya, and chief ministerial candidate Isudan Gadhvi—lost.
