Congress leader Kamal Nath sworn in as the 18th Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh in Bhopal on Monday. Governor Anandiben Patel administered the oath of office to him. Soon after the ceremony, the guests left the venue to attend a similar programme in Raipur, where Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel was sworn-in.
On Friday, the Governor invited Nath to form a government. The Congress on Thursday named Nath, the nine-time Lok Sabha member from Chhindwara, to head the State Congress Legislature Party, after hours of hectic parleys held by party president Rahul Gandhi with senior party leaders.
Nath, who has held several portfolios in the Union Cabinet, was appointed the Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee president on April 26 and was at the forefront in steering the party to a win in the November 28 Assembly polls. The results were declared on December 11.
The Congress, which won 114 seats, has the support of one Samajwadi Party legislator, two Bahujan Samaj Party MLAs and four independents, to cross the majority mark of 116 seats in the 230-member Assembly.
Those present at the swearing-in ceremony included Rahul Gandhi, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, AICC general secretary Mallikarjun Kharge, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, his deputy Sachin Pilot, MP Jyotiraditya Scindia, former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Punjab Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu.
Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar, National Conference president Farooq Abdullah, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, Loktantrik Janata Dal leader Sharad Yadav, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam’s MK Stalin, Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav and Chouhan were also present.