Vijay Rupani to take oath as Gujarat CM on Tuesday at grand ceremony, PM Modi to attend

BJP has 99 MLAs in the 182-member Gujarat Assembly.

Pic courtesy: @BJP4Gujarat

Gandhinagar: The new Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Gujarat led by Vijay Rupani will take the oath of office at a grand ceremony in Gandhinagar on Tuesday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president Amit Shah, chief ministers of all BJP-ruled states and those governed by NDA allies are expected to attend the ceremony, Gujarat BJP chief Jitu Vaghani said.

He added that several Union ministers and senior leaders of the party have also been invited, besides saints and religious leaders of different faiths.

Shah reached Gujarat on Monday ahead of the swearing-in ceremony.

BJP National President Shri @AmitShah's rousing welcome at Ahmedabad airport on his first visit to Gujarat after election victory. pic.twitter.com/mLli9Ndh51 — BJP (@BJP4India) December 25, 2017

Apart from Rupani and Nitin Patel, six to nine Cabinet and around 15 ministers of state are expected to take oath, party sources said, as per PTI.

The names doing the rounds for Cabinet berths are Bhupendrasinh Chudasama, Kaushik Patel, Ganpat Vasava, Dilip Thakor, Babubhai Bokhiria and Pradeepsinh Jadeja.

Some new faces are likely to be inducted as ministers of state. Six ministers in the previous government lost in the elections. Assembly Speaker Ramanlal Vora too bit the dust.

Rupani and Patel were elected as the leader and deputy leader, respectively, of the BJP legislature party at its meeting in Gandhinagar on December 22, 2017.

To be able to work for the welfare of the people and contribute in all-round development of the state is a reward of the life time. Humbled & honoured indeed. pic.twitter.com/KZWdj1hMh0 — Vijay Rupani (@vijayrupanibjp) December 22, 2017

My sincere gratitude to Honourable PM Shri @narendramodi Ji & BJP President Shri @AmitShah Ji for reposing trust & confidence in a humble Karyakarta like me. I also thank @BJP4Gujarat legislative party for sustaining trust. — Vijay Rupani (@vijayrupanibjp) December 22, 2017

Team Gujarat is fully prepared & committed to fulfill expectations & aspirations of the people from all strata irrespective of their caste, religion, profession or practice. Together we shall head towards #NewIndia. pic.twitter.com/Ax8pkqjr7I — Vijay Rupani (@vijayrupanibjp) December 22, 2017

Both of them were elected unopposed at a meeting of the BJP legislators in the presence of central observers - Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and party general secretary Saroj Pandey.

"A proposal to elect Rupani as the leader of the state BJP legislature party and Nitin Patel as the deputy leader of the legislature party has been adopted," Jaitley had told a press conference. 

He had added that the central observers had asked the MLAs for names for the posts of the leader and deputy leader of the legislature party, and one of them - Bhupendra Sinh Chudasama - suggested Rupani and Patel. Five other MLAs backed Chudasama's proposal.

Jaitley had also said that he had asked the MLAs to come up with more names for the two top posts, but as nobody came forward, Rupani and Patel were declared elected as the leader and deputy leader of the legislature party.

Asked why was there the suspense over who would be the next CM, he had said that it was a 'media creation'. Rupani was made the CM in August 2017 after his predecessor Anandiben Patel resigned.

With 99 MLAs, the BJP has a simple majority in the 182-member Assembly, 16 less than its 2012 tally of 115. Independent MLA Ratansinh Rathod has declared his support to the ruling party. With this, the BJP now has the support of 100 MLAs in the 182-member Assembly. 

Opposition Congress, which had won 61 seats in 2012, managed to increase its tally to 77. The strength of the Congress and its allies in the new House is 80.

(With PTI inputs)