Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel Wednesday said the recent results of state assembly elections were “better than expected” and so “energy is doubled.”

He was speaking after inaugurating an underpass at Vaishno Devi Circle built at a cost of Rs 40.36 crore in Ahmedabad city, the first project to be commissioned after being sworn-in as the CM.

In the recently concluded assembly elections, the BJP had won a record 156 seats out of the total 182.

“The people of Gujarat have given us the results of the works we did in unison, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Now our responsibilities have doubled. We have been able to hold on to the trust placed on us for so long and we need to start building on this trust once again,” said Patel who was sworn in on Monday along with his new council of ministers.

During the event, newly elected MLAs from Ahmedabad city were also present at the auditorium of Sardar Dham — an institution of Patidar community — which was built after the Patidar agitation erupted in the state in 2015. The audience comprising BJP workers were also told by the organisers to prepare for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

The chief minister in his speech also said that the newly commissioned underpass fell in the Lok Sabha constituency of Union Home Minister Amit Shah. “Amitbhai is our Member of Parliament and he has been working to make Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency the best in the country,” Patel said.

“Despite handling such a huge responsibility of the country, Amitbhai has continued to serve his constituency. For the smallest issue, he would either come or make a telephone call and find a solution,” the CM said.

Thanking Bhupendra Patel, for attending his first event after taking charge as the CM, M Thennarasan, chairman of Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority (AUDA), said that the work of the Sardar Patel (SP) ring road was started in 2008. “On the SP ring road, works worth Rs 486 crore are currently underway,” he said.

Thennarasan added that the new underpass at Vaishnodevi, with an 11-metre carriage way, was built within 12 months.