Bhupendra Patel of the Bharatiya Janata Party was sworn in as Gujarat’s chief minister on December 12, days after the party won a landslide majority of 156 seats in the latest parliamentary elections. After that, he was sworn in on December 12.

Witnessed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Patel was sworn in as the 18th Chief minister at a helipad ground in Gandhinagar.

Along with Patel, a new Council of Ministers was also sworn in. The swearing-in ceremony was witnessed by many chief ministers, union ministers and state-level leaders of the BJP-ruled state, including party chairman JP Nadda.

Bhupendra Patel, who sees the party as soft-spoken in Gujarat, has been sworn in for a second consecutive term and is a dedicated worker who has entered state politics from the municipal level. Patel, 60, was not well known outside Ahmedabad or within the party until he became chief minister in September 2021.

His ascent to the top was a surprise when BJP decided to replace Vijay Rupani and face the Patel community.

The BJP, which has been in power since 1995, recorded a historic seven-game winning streak on December 8. However, the main opposition Congress Party, which had a strong showing in 2017, won only 17 seats this time, while the Aam Aadmi Party opened its account in states with five seats.