Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister-elect Yogi Adityanath has on Friday- March 25 taken oath as the Chief Minister for the second consecutive term. In what has become a grand event, the swearing-in ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and top BJP leaders including Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, and JP Nadda. 

The Yogi 2.0 regime kickstarts in India's largest state as the Hindu monk-turned politician has been gaining more prominence than any other BJP Chief Ministers in the country. Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel has administered the oath of office to Yogi Adityanath. The ceremony was held at Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Stadium, the venue which can accommodate over 50,000 people. 

On Thursday, Adityanath was unanimously elected as the BJP legislature party leader in Uttar Pradesh following which he staked a claim to form the government. Along with Adityanath, BJP's Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak were also sworn in as Deputy Chief Ministers. The BJP-led alliance had won 273 of 403 seats in the recently-concluded Uttar Pradesh assembly polls. 

While the BJP has secured 255 seats, nearly 50 seats less than what has it got in 2017, the allies of the Central ruling party - Nishad Party and Apna Dal (S) has got 18 seats. Others who swore in on Friday are Suresh Kumar Khanna, Surya Pratap Shahi, Swatantra Dev Singh, Dharampal Singh, Jaiveer Singh, and Baby Rani Maurya. 

Earlier this week, Adityanath had toured Delhi to discuss with the BJP's central leadership to finalize his cabinet ahead of assuming the office. The reports say that the swearing-in ceremony had seen the attendance of 85,000 people including prominent leaders, social workers, doctors, engineers, and sages of religious monasteries and temples from across the state and country. 

By taking oath as the Chief Minister for the second consecutive term, Yogi Adityanath has created history by becoming the first Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh in 37 years to return to power after completing a full term in the state. The cabinet was designed in the fashion of driving the party successfully in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Bihar's Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and several celebrities were seen in the packed hall.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had shared the visuals of the ceremony while hundreds of BJP leaders have been extending their wishes to Yogi Adityanath. The monk-turned-politician was a staunch campaigner to build the Ram temple in Ayodhya. He was a disciple of Mahant Avaidyanath of the Gorakhnath temple in Gorakhpur. Adityanath was the surprise pick to Chief Minister by BJP after the party's victory in 2017. 

During the 2022-assembly poll campaign, BJP has hailed the success of Adityanath- Narendra Modi's double-engine government in the state over the past five years. Union Home Minister Amit Shah went on to say that Adityanath must become the Chief Minister again if the party aims to return to power at the Centre n the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.