Rupani takes charge, with 4 new faces
Vijay Rupani, a low-profile Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) man, on Tuesday took oath as the chief minister of Gujarat for the second consecutive term with new faces and a strong Patidar presence lined up in his ministry.
Rupani, 61, his deputy Nitin Patel and 18 other ministers were administered the oath of office and secrecy by governor OP Kohli at a grand ceremony in Gandhinagar in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah and chief ministers of the18 BJP-ruled states.
Ally Janata Dal(United)’s Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar and a host of Union ministers were also present.
“Development will remain the driving force for the BJP government,” said Rupani, who arrived at the venue after offering prayers at Panchdev Mahadev Temple.
Rupani will begin his second term with a lean cabinet of 18 ministers besides Patel as the deputy chief minister. As many as eight ministers have been given the cabinet rank while 10 will be ministers of state.
Patel’s continuance as Rupani’s deputy is being read as a signal to the influential Patidars that the community will be well represented in the ministry.
After the election that the BJP won with a simple majority, the caste and regional balance have been maintained with six Patidars, six Other Backward Class, three Scheduled Tribe, one Scheduled Caste, two Kshatriya and two upper caste leaders being inducted in the government.
The BJP retained power in the state for the sixth consecutive term by winning the recently held assembly polls.
The saffron party’s tally in the elections conducted in two phases on December 9 and 14 has remained 99, 16 seats less than it got in the 2012 elections in the 182-member assembly.
GANDHINAGAR: