The BJP on Monday formally secured power in Madhya Pradesh in the middle of a lockdown in vast swathes across the country to arrest the spread of the coronavirus.

Former chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan was sworn in for a fourth term at a programme in the Raj Bhavan, despite a lockdown in Bhopal where a person had tested positive for Covid-19 on Sunday.

Earlier, Shivraj had been unanimously elected leader of the BJP legislature party. Central observer Arun Singh and the party’s state minder, Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, joined the meeting at the Bhopal office through videoconference from Delhi.

Sweeping aside precautions, BJP MLAs gathered at the Bhopal party office and Shivraj and other leaders were even seen holding each other’s hands to celebrate the occasion. Shivraj briefly shook hands with governor Lalji Tandon after the swearing-in, but refused to do so with others, saying he couldn’t because of the pandemic.

After 13 years as chief minister at a stretch, this was the fourth time he was sworn in, a record of sorts for the state.

The central leadership chose Shivraj again, disregarding the hopes of some who had been looking for a change.

A lockdown has been declared in over 35 districts of Madhya Pradesh, where six persons have tested positive for the coronavirus.