CHANDIGARH, Dec 24— Mr Satya Pal Saini, a BJP member of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha, was sworn in as Minister of State by the Governor, Lt-Gen J.F.R. Jacob (retd), at a simple ceremony at Raj Bhavan here today.

With the induction of Mr Saini, the total strength of the Council of Ministers goes up to 42 and of Ministers of State to 11. This raises the strength of BJP ministers in the coalition government to nine; Cabinet-rank ministers total seven. The Deputy Speaker of the Vidhan Sabha is also from the BJP.

The Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, later told mediapersons that the induction of a BJP member had been pending for the past six months to give the coalition partner due representation. The name of Mr Saini was cleared only recently. He said there would be no reshuffle of portfolios.

Mr Badal also ruled out any change in the Youth Akali Dal. Asked about the affairs of the SGPC, he laughed it off, saying: “A Sikh is one who daily enters into a fight”.

Mr Saini arrived at Raj Bhavan shortly before the swearing-in time (3.30 pm), leading a crowd of supporters carrying garlands. Like the proverbial storm-troopers, these men barged into the Raj Bhavan Banquet Hall jostling, pushing, shoving and tumbling to grab a chair.

Several senior bureaucrats, mediapersons and other invitees were seen helplessly looking for a chair. If the scene inside was chaotic there was a mess-up outside too. When the swearing in was under way, the police band on the lawns started playing and had to be stopped.

At the end of the function when the National Anthem was played, people were seen rushing out to pounce on the eatables on the tables laid out on the lawns or trying to get close to politicians.

Slogan raising began inside the hall. It is fairly well known that Mr Balramji Das Tandon has been instrumental in getting Mr Saini inducted as Minister of State. The BJP is not entirely free from internal squabbles.

On the lawns the marigolds were soon trampled upon by enthusiastic supporters vying to have themselves photographed with a beaming Mr Saini or to catch his eye. In fact, several invitees and SAD-BJP activists were still pouring into Raj Bhavan much after the ceremony was over. Inside, Mr Saini was trying to seat his supporters.

The swearing in was a quick affair attended by some ministers.

It was earlier not clear how many persons would be sworn in. The administration had five cars ready and lined up.

Mr Saini, born on March 15, 1942, represents the Sujanpur Assembly constituency. He has risen through the ranks, beginning as a member of the panchayat in Narot Jaimal Singh block in Gurdaspur. He remained a member for 10 years.

He lost the Vidhan Sabha election from Sujanpur in 1985 while the 1991 poll was postponed. He lost by a narrow margin of 2,308 votes in 1992 but won the seat in 1997 by 10,235 votes, defeating a former Congress Minister, Mr R.S. Puri. Mr Saini is an activist of the RSS. He holds the degrees of M.Com, and MA (Economics).