It was no less than a rajyaabhishek (crowning ceremony). Lakhs of those who had voted Gujarat’s hriday samraat (emperor of hearts) Narendra Modi to power for the third time in a row were there to cheer for their leader as he took oath as the Gujarat chief minister in Ahmedabad on Tuesday. Bugles blew after 57-yea-old Narendra Modi, who swept the assembly polls with 117 seats, was sworn in by governor Nawal Kishore Sharma at the Sardar Patel Stadium.
Although the official timing for the oath-taking-ceremony was 12.30 pm, BJP postponed it till 1.50 pm. Even the governor began reading out the oath after checking his watch. Mr Modi took the oath in Gujarati amid cheering supporters waving saffron ribbons.
The BJP legislative party on Monday selected Mr Modi as their leader for the 12th Gujarat Legislative Assembly. Criticised for his stand against religious groups, Modi went to seek blessings of religious leaders of various sects who were special invitees on the occasion. Notably, Avichaldas Maharaj of Satkeval Saheb (Sarsa), who was up in arms against Modi before elections for his divide-and-rule policy and even formed a force under the Hindu Dharm Jagran Manch, graced the occasion. He too was seen blessing Modi.
Surrounded by senior BJP leaders including the party’s Prime Ministerial candidate LK Advani, president Rajnath Singh, Venkaiah Naidu, Arun Jaitley, Sushma Swaraj, George Fernandes, former Vice President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, Manohar Joshi, representing BJP’s oldest saffron ally Shiv Sena, and several BJP chief ministers, Modi took oath.
The glamour quotient was provided by cricketer-turned-parliamentarian Navjot Singh Sidhu, TV star and BJP leader Smriti Irani and actor Mukesh Khanna. All 116 newly elected BJP legislators were present on the occasion. Mr Modi had arrived at the venue 20 minutes ahead of schedule amid bursting of crackers and frenzied supporters greeting him with slogans such as “Modi Zindabad” and “Dekho Dekho Kaun Aaya, Gujarat ke Sher Aaya” (See who has come, the lion of Gujarat).
Following earlier intelligence inputs of a threat to Modi, extra security measures were in place at the venue as well as his route from capital Gandhinagar to here. Modi was the only one to take the oath and is expected to induct other ministers later.
A Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) activist who was deputed to the BJP in 1987, Mr Modi was a behind-the-scene strategist till the party made him chief minister October 6, 2001, replacing Keshubhai Patel whose popularity was declining.
In December 2002, Mr Modi had led the party to victory with its highest tally of 127 seats in the 182-member house in the elections held in the aftermath of communal violence.
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