Pema Khandu takes oath as CM of Arunachal Pradesh

Pema Khandu took oath as the chief minister of Arunachal Pradesh along with Chowna Mein as his deputy in Itanagar on Sunday. The 37-year-old became the youngest chief minister in the country after he was administered the oath by Incharge Governor Tathagata Roy. Khandu is the eldest son of former chief minister Dorjee Khandu, who died in a chopper crash in 2011.

After a dramatic turn of events  on Saturday, all the 44 Congress MLAs supported Khandu.

“Our idea is to carry forward the work of Nabam Tuki and Kalikho Pul. The governor has told us that we do not need a floor test, but we will still call a session soon. We want to give a stable government. We do not expect any tussle with the Centre,” Khandu told reporters after the swearing-in .

All the Congress lawmakers, including former chief ministers Nabam Tuki and Kalikho Pul, were present at the oath-taking ceremony, while the BJP MLAs were absent.

“I will extend all



cooperation to Khandu and work for the betterment of the state,” said Pul, who added that he had to take a firm stand due to the ‘legal interpretation’ of the order. But when reporters asked if he would continue with the Congress, Pul did not reply. Tuki resigned as the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader, and proposed the name of Khandu as his successor.

The proposal was supported by all 44 legislators, including 15 Congress and 29 rebel Congress legislators who had joined Pul’s People’s Party of Arunachal in February. Even Khandu was a key aide of Pul in the rebellion against Tuki. 

In his maiden meeting with top-ranking bureaucrats of the state, led by Chief Secretary Shakuntala Gamlin, the chief minister took stock of the information technology development in the state.  

Khandu said his government will mainly focus on infrastructure, social sectors, maintaining transparency and checking corruption.