A day after being unanimously elected as the leader of the BJP Legislature Party, Pema Khandu on Thursday took oath as the Chief Minister for the third consecutive term. He was administered the oath of office and secrecy by Governor Lt Gen (Retd) K T Parnaik at the Dorjee Khandu Convention Hall in the state’s capital Itanagar.
Chowna Mein was sworn-in as the deputy Chief Minister of the state.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP national President JP Nadda, former union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma and Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang, among others were present at the swearing-in ceremony.
While Dasanglu Pul is the lone woman minister, the new cabinet has eight fresh faces. The portfolios would be allocated later in the day, following which the first cabinet meeting of the new government.
On Wednesday evening, Khandu accompanied by senior BJP leader Tarun Chugh and several legislators called Governor Lt Gen (Retd) K T Parnaik at Raj Bhawan in Itanagar and staked claim to form the government. The governor invited Khandu and his ministers for swearing-in.
Khandu’s name was proposed by state BJP president Biyuram Wahge as the chief minister which was supported by all the 46 party’s MLAs, Chugh told reporters at Raj Bhawan.
In the 60-member Arunachal Assembly, the BJP returned to power in the north-eastern state for the third time in a row, winning 46 seats.
Who is Pema Khandu?
Khandu emerged as a prominent leader in the northeastern state, especially following a constitutional crisis in 2016 that resulted in the imposition of president’s rule.
His political innings began following the untimely demise of his father, former Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu, in a helicopter crash in 2011. In the by-elections, he won from the Mukto seat, held by his father, uncontested.
Serving initially as the tourism minister in Nabam Tuki’s Congress government, Khandu’s leadership trajectory soared following a constitutional crisis in January 2016 that led to the imposition of president’s rule.
Upon the lifting of central rule, he became a minister in the Kalikho Pul-led government, supported by the BJP. However, this government was short-lived, and Tuki was restored as Chief Minister following Supreme Court intervention.
Later, he became the CM of the state in July 2016. He was 37 years old.
In 2019, Khandu was re-elected from the Mukto assembly seat and assumed office as Chief Minister without political obstacles.
Belonging to the Monpa tribe, Khandu is a history graduate from Delhi’s Hindu College. He is a Buddhist by faith.
During the assembly polls held simultaneously with the Lok Sabha elections on April 19, his campaign pitch revolved around corruption-free governance, emphasizing transparency and people-centric policies. The 45-year-old won uncontested from the Mukto seat in the border district of Tawang in the Arunachal Pradesh Assembly elections. Along with him, nine other legislators won unopposed in the state polls.