Patna, Jan 2: Arif Mohammad Khan took the oath as Bihar’s 42nd Governor on Thursday at Rajendra Mandapam, Raj Bhavan. Patna High Court Chief Justice Krishnan Vinod Chandran administered the oath of office and secrecy to Khan.
The ceremony was attended by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary and other ministers. Khan, who previously served as Kerala Governor, will succeed Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar.
Before taking the oath, Khan paid tribute to former President Rajendra Prasad at his memorial in Patna. After reaching Patna on Monday, Khan told the media that he would “try to discharge his duties as per the glorious tradition of the state”.
Khan is the second person from the minority community to hold the Governor’s post in the state. Earlier, A. R. Kidwai served as Governor from August 14, 1993, to April 26, 1998. Khan has a long and diverse political career having been associated with the Janata Party, Lok Dal, Bahujan Samaj Party, Congress, and the BJP.
He previously served as a Union Minister alongside Chief Minister Nitish and gained prominence for his resignation from the Congress over the Shah Bano case. On December 24, President Droupadi Murmu appointed governors for five states. Vijay Kumar Singh was appointed Mizoram Governor, Hari Babu Kambhampati as Odisha Governor, Ajay Kumar Bhalla as Manipur Governor and Rajendra Viswanath Arlekar as Kerala Governor.
The relationship between Khan and Chief Minister Vijayan was marked by frequent public disagreements. Tensions peaked over Khan’s resistance to the Kerala government’s efforts to exert influence over state universities.
The dispute culminated in Khan refusing to sign several key ordinances and bills, compelling the state government to seek the Supreme Court’s intervention.
IANS