CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan skips Rupani oath ceremony for bypoll rally

BHOPAL: Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan was conspicuous by his absence at the Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani’s oath taking ceremony on Tuesday.
The cremony was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP national president Amit Shah, all the chief ministers of BJP-ruled states and Party top brass in Gandhi Nagar. In fact, Chouhan, who was one of the main guests at the ceremony along with other BJP chief ministers, met Rupani in the morning, and left for Guna to attend a political programme ahead of bypolls in Kolaras and Mungaoli.

However, Chouhan greeted Rupani and his deputy Nitin Patel at the venue where the ceremony was to take place, but left before the function started. When asked about his absence from the ceremony, he said, “I was very much there during the function and also congratulated Vijay Rupani and the deputy chief minister Patel. But I had to attend more than three functions in Kolaras and Ashoknagar and also a programme in Bhopal, so I sought permission from party president Amit Shah and came to Guna.”

The chief minister later also posted a tweet and a picture of him congratulating Rupani and Nitin Patel in Gandhinagar before the oath ceremony.
“Congratulated Shri Vijay Rupani and Shri Nitinbhai Patel as they will be sworn as chief minister and deputy chief minister today. Under their able leadership, Gujarat will reach new heights of development and prosperity. My best wishes”, read the tweet.
The chief minister also re-tweeted a post and photo by former chief minister of Uttarakhand Dr Ramesh Pokhruyal where he is seen greeting him. The chief minister and his office, in a series of tweets, shared videos and photos of Chouhan addressing public meeting in the bypoll-bound areas.