Top leaders attend Singh's swearing-in

Raipur: Ayurvedic doctor turned Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) politician Raman Singh was on Friday sworn in as chief minister of Chhattisgarh for a second consecutive term at a function attended by top brass of his party as well as the opposition Congress.

About 15,000 workers of the BJP as well as party president Rajnath Singh and senior leader L.K. Advani witnessed the ceremony at the Police Parade Ground where Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan administered the oath of office to the 56-year-old in Hindi.

Advani and Rajnath Singh had flown in to the state capital in a special plane to attend the function, held amid heavy security.

New team

Congress leader and the state's first chief minister Ajit Jogi as well as veteran party leader Vidya Charan Shukla were among the key figures from the opposition at the ceremony.

Raman Singh, first sworn in as chief minister on December 7, 2003, to head the first BJP government, is largely credited for single-handedly scripting the party's success in the polls held on November 14 and 20. The BJP bagged 50 seats in the 90-member assembly. Party insiders say Raman Singh is expected to pick his cabinet colleagues after holding discussions with the central leadership.

Analysts say Raman Singh, a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) activist since childhood, has his task cut out for him - to contain the Maoists who run a de facto administration in the state's vast forested southern interiors since 1980s.

The guerrillas have claimed over 1,100 lives since 2004 in the state.