Mulayam Singh Yadav on Friday took oath as chief minister of Uttar Pradesh at the sprawling Laxman Mela grounds near the banks of the Gomti River in the presence of enthusiastic supporters and well-wishers.
The Samajwadi Party leader left no stone unturned to ensure that the ceremony will be an event to remember.
Former prime minister Chandrashekhar, Union Defence Minister George Fernandes and BJP leader Kalraj Mishra were among those present in the audience, which included film actor Amitabh Bachchan, industrialist Anil Ambani, socialite Parmeshwar Godrej and Subrato Roy of the Sahara Group.
Governor Vishnu Kant Shastri administered the oath at 1005 IST. Yadav was the only person to be sworn in on Friday.
Yadav arrived at the venue in a long carcade, which included many open vehicles carrying his well-wishers. He was accompanied by party colleagues Amar Singh and Raj Babbar, RLD leader Ajit Singh, RKP leader Kalyan Singh and Congress leaders Jagdambika Pal and Pramod Tiwari.
The Sahara Group is believed to have made arrangements for the carcade.
On Thursday night, the Congress decided not to participate in the ministry, after a meeting of the central leadership. It is believed that the Congress has the upcoming assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh in mind. The Bahujan Samaj Party is a major player in the state and the Congress wants to keep its options open on a possible tie-up.
