Itanagar: Senior BJP leader Pema Khandu took oath as the 10th chief minister of Arunachal Pradesh on Wednesday.
State Governor Brig (Retd) B D Mishra administered the oath of office and secrecy to Khandu at a function organised at the Dorjee Khandu Convention Centre here.
Eleven Cabinet ministers, including Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein, were also administered oath along with Khandu.
Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma, Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, his deputy Y Patton, Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Deb and Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh along with BJP general secretary Ram Madhav were among others who attended the swearing-in ceremony.
Six sitting cabinet ministers, including Chowna Mein, Wangki Lowang, Honchun Ngandam, Kamlung Mossang, Alo Libang and Bamang Felix, have been included in the new ministry.
Deputy speaker Tumke Bagra and two sitting MLAs Mama Natung and Tage Taki also found berth in the cabinet.
Two newcomers — Taba Tedir and Nakap Nalo — were also inducted in the new ministry with cabinet rank.
Khandu, talking to reporters after the swearing-in ceremony, thanked the people of the state on behalf of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party president Amit Shah for voting the BJP to power in the Himalayan state.
“It is a historic day for the state as the BJP could install a government on its own,” Khandu said and asserted that his government would be clean, transparent and corruption-free.
The chief minister announced that the priority areas would be improvement in law and order, health and education sectors. (PTI)
