Bhupendra Patel takes oath as 18th Gujarat chief minister along with 16 MLAs

Bhupendra Patel took oath as the chief minister of Gujarat for a second straight term in Gandhinagar on Monday in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other dignitaries.

Patel was administered the oath as the 18th chief minister by Governor Acharya Devvrat at a function held at the Helipad Ground near the new Secretariat.

Kuvarji Bavaliya, Mulubhai Bera, Kuber Dindor and Bhanuben Babariya were among 16 other MLAs who take oath as ministers.

In the just-concluded Gujarat assembly election, counting for which was held on December 8, 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. 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, following which he met the governor and staked the claim to form the next government. Patel won the Ghatlodia seat with the highest margin of 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.