Senior BJP leader Nayab Singh Saini was sworn in as chief minister of Haryana for a second time on Thursday in a grand ceremony attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and a galaxy of NDA leaders.

Thousands of people packed into the Dussehra Ground to watch Governor Bandaru Dattatreya administer the oath of office to the low profile OBC leader and 13 others. For the BJP, the messaging was not just in its show of strength with a power packed dais seating its chief ministers, ministers and NDA partners but also in its choice of the day – Valmiki Jayanti.

“For the third time with full majority, the BJP government will work with full energy for good governance, equality and welfare of the poor,” Saini said in a social media post after being sworn in for the second time as chief minister.

Among those present were Union ministers Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari and BJP president J P Nadda. Chief ministers of several BJP-ruled states, including Uttar Pradesh’s Yogi Adityanath, Assam’s Himanta Biswa Sarma, Chhattisgarh’s Vishnu Deo Sai, Gujarat’s Bhupendra Patel and Uttarakhand’s Pushkar Singh Dhami. NDA partner, TDP leader and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, was there too.

The 54-year-old, who was the surprise pick to replace strongman M L Khattar as chief minister ahead of the assembly elections, proved his naysayers wrong by steering the BJP to a win in an election many thought would go to the Congress.

Saini is heading the BJP’s third consecutive government in the state, a strategic victory after the Lok Sabha elections that many party leaders hope sets the pace for next month’s crucial assembly polls in Maharashtra and Jharkhand. The BJP won 48 seats in the 90-member assembly. Three Independents, including Hisar MLA Savitri Jindal, also extended support to the party. Haryana can have a maximum of 14 ministers, including the chief minister.

The 13-member council of ministers includes the party’s most senior leader Anil Vij, Ahir leader Rao Narbir Singh and Jat leader Mahipal Dhanda.

It also has two women – former Congress leader Shruti Choudhary, daughter of Rajya Sabha MP Kiran Choudhary, and first time MLA Arti Singh, the daughter of Union minister Rao Inderjit Singh. Rajesh Nagar and Gaurav Gautam took oath as state ministers (independent charge).