Bhupendra Patel To Take Oath As Gujarat CM today; PM Modi To attend

As Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel gears up to take oath for the second term in row on Monday AT LEAST 20 chief ministers of BJP-ruled states are expected to be present as guests, a grand function is set to be held in the state capital in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

Patel will take oath as the 18th chief minister of Gujarat in the presence of Governor Acharya Devvrat at the occassion which is to be held at the new secretariat complex's Helipad Ground inside in Gandhinagar. The new council of ministers will also take oath at the function.

BJP national president JP Nadda and 10-15 union ministers are also expected to be present at the ceremony.

At the state's assembly elections the party achieved a historic lead and its seventh consecutive victory, the party won 156 of the total 182 seats. Main opposition party Congress could bag only 17 seats, while the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for the first time in the state legislative assembly won five seats.

The swearing-in function preparations are going on in full swing under the supervision of IAS officers, a temporary structure has also been constructed at the helipad ground in order to accommodate around 20,000 people.

From the BJP organisation, party office-bearers have received invitation to attend the swearing-in ceremony. Sitting and former MPs and MLAs from the party, office-bearers of various morchas, chairmen/vice-chairmen and directors of APMCs, sarpanches of gram panchayats and party veterans from the time of Jan Sangh are also expected to be part of the occassion.

The party is expecting several national level leaders who were brought in for a campaign carpet bombing election campaign in Gujarat to also be a part of the ceremony.

Prime Minister Modi reached Gujarat on Sunday late night to attend the swearing in function Monday.