With the top brass of BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, descending, the oath-taking ceremony of Nayab Singh Saini assumed the air of a grand event.

All roads leading to Dussehra ground were choc-o-block as thousands of BJP supporters from across Haryana made their way to the ceremony.

Saini, 54, an OBC face of the party in the state, on Thursday, took oath as the chief minister of Haryana in Panchkula. A total of 13 ministers also swore beside him.

 While the BJP formed the government for a third time in a row, Saini became the chief minister of Haryana for the second time.

 Ahead of the BJP’s estimate of over 50,000 people turning up at the ‘Shapath Grahan Samaroh’, arrangements were made on a grand scale.

 After Saini took his oath, his supporters chanted ‘Nayab Saini ko Jai Shri Ram’ and ‘Bharat Mata ki jai’. 

A huge multicolour ‘pandal’ was set up to accommodate VVIP guests, which included several Union ministers, chief ministers, NDA partners and BJP workers.  Outside the venue, artists clad in traditional attire played Haryanvi folk music, featuring ‘been’ (used by snake charmers), ‘chimta’, and ‘dhol’.

Flex boards with welcome messages were set up all along the road leading to the venue in Panchkula. 

Besides Modi, Union Ministers Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh and J P Nadda attended the event amid heavy security.

Union Ministers Nitin Gadkari, Chirag Paswan, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel, Goa CM Pramod Sawant, Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma, Nagaland CM Neiphiu Rio, Chhattisgarh CM Vishnu Deo Sai, Meghalaya CM Conard Sangma and Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Dhami were also present at the swearing-in.  BJP leader Tarun Chugh termed the ceremony “historic”.

Hari Ram, a Saini supporter, said he was excited at the BJP forming government for the third time.