Pema Khandu, who was re-elected as the BJP Legislature Party leader on Wednesday, took oath as Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister for the third straight term on Thursday.
Governor Lt-Gen (Retd), KT Parnaik administered the oath of office and secrecy to the Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein and 10 other Cabinet Ministers at the Dorjee Khandu Convention Centre in Itanagar.
The other ministers who took oath on Thursday include Biyuram Wahge, Nyato Dukam, Gabriel Denwang Wangsu, Wangki Lowang, Pasang Dorjee Sona, Mama Natung, Dasanglu Pul, Balo Raja, Kento Jini and Ojing Tasing.
Biyuram Wahge is the state BJP President while Dasanglu Pul is the lone woman minister in the 12-member Council of Ministers headed by Chief Minister Khandu.
BJP President and Union Health Minister, JP Nadda, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP National General Secretary (Organisation) BL Santosh, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, his Sikkim counterpart Prem Singh Tamang and several other dignitaries attended the oath-taking ceremony.
Former Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, BJP National General Secretary Tarun Chugh, and the party’s Arunachal incharge Ashok Singhal were present at Wednesday’s meeting which re-elected Khandu as the Legislature Party leader.
The results of the Assembly polls, which were held simultaneously with the Lok Sabha elections on April 19, were announced on June 2, two days before the declaration of results for the General Elections.
The BJP secured 46 seats -- five more than its 2019 tally -- in the 60-member Arunachal Assembly.
Of these, 10 seats, including that of CM Khandu, were won uncontested before the polls.
The National People’s Party (NPP) headed by Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma won 5 seats, followed by the Ajit Pawar-led NCP (3), the People’s Party of Arunachal (2), the Congress (1), while 3 seats were won by Independent nominees.
The NPP, the NCP, and the PPA have already announced their support to the BJP government.
Son of former Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu, Monpa community leader Khandu (45) first became the Chief Minister in 2016 after he, along with several MLAs, left the Congress for the PPA before joining the BJP.
The BJP registered its first electoral victory in Arunachal Pradesh in the 2019 Assembly elections.
Civil Aviation Ministry issues strict instructions to DGCA to enforce chopper safety
In the wake of a tragic helicopter crash in the Gaurikund area of Uttarakhand, the Ministry of Civil Aviation on Sunday issued strict instructions to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to enforce all safety protocols related to chopper operations in hilly and sensitive areas like the Kedarnath valley.
‘Harming Indians will invite punishment’, HM Shah on Op Sindoor
Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Sunday that through the anti-terror Operation Sindoor, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has sent a strong message across the world that the bloodshed of Indians will invite punishment.
Dassault CEO trashes Pakistan's claims on downing Rafale jets
Dassault Aviation Chairman and CEO Eric Trappier has dismissed as "factually incorrect" Pakistan’s claims about having shot down three Rafale fighter jets of the Indian Air Force during Operation Sindoor.
Tripura BJP stages protest over vandalism at Tagore's ancestral home in B'desh
Ruling BJP in Tripura on Saturday staged state-wide protests along the Bangladesh border, protesting the recent attack and vandalism of the ancestral home of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore in the neighbouring country.
Two new earthworm species unearthed in Tripura
In a major breakthrough for ecological science in Northeast India, two new species of earthworms—Kanchuria tripuraensis and Kanchuria priyasankari—have been formally identified in Tripura.
CM calls for mass awareness on voluntary blood donation
Chief Minister Prof. Dr. Manik Saha today urged to create massive awareness campaigns about the benefits of voluntary blood donation to encourage more people to donate blood.
Tripura has begun experimental soilless hydroponic farming: Minister
The Tripura government has experimentally started the hydroponics method of cultivation without any soil, the state’s agriculture minister Ratan Lal Nath said here on Friday.
Assam Rifles seized cannabis worth Rs 30 lakh from Tripura
In a swift and decisive operation against narcotics smuggling, Assam Rifles, in close coordination with representatives of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), successfully seized approximately 195 kg of marijuana from the general area of Taranagar, Agartala during the early hours of 12 June.