Dr. Raman Singh was sworn in as chief minister of Chhattisgarh, on Friday, for a second consecutive term. Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan administered the oaths of office and secrecy to the 56-year-old Raman Singh.

About 15,000 workers of the BJP as well as party president Rajnath Singh and senior leader L.K. Advani attended the ceremony at the Police Parade Ground in Raipur.

Raman Singh, first sworn in as chief minister on Dec 7, 2003 to head the first BJP government, is largely credited for single-handedly scripting the party's success in the two-phased polls held on Nov 14 and 20. The BJP bagged 50 seats in the 90-member assembly.

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 other challenge for him is to put into place a policy to improve the quality of life of nearly half the state's 20.08 million population living below the poverty line.