Munda was administered the oath of office a third time by Governor M.O.H. Farook at the Raj Bhavan. He took oath along with Sudesh Mahto, president and legislature party leader of All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU), and JMM legislature leader Hemant Soren, son of JMM chief Shibu Soren or Guruji.
Munda first became chief minister in March 2003 and then in March 2005. At 42, he is the national general secretary of the BJP and a Lok Sabha member from Jamshedpur. BJP president Nitin Gadkari and senior leader LK Advani were not present at the function.
Former BJP chief Rajnath Singh attended as did BJP chief ministers Raman Singh of Chhattisgarh and Ramesh Pokhriyal of Uttarakhand. With Munda taking oath, President Rule came to an end after nearly three and half months. It was imposed on June 1 after the resignation of Shibu Soren as chief minister May 31.
Munda staked claim to form the government Sep 7 with support from JMM, AJSU, Janata Dal-United (JD-U) and two independent legislators. He is likely to seek the trust vote on Sept 14. In the 81-member assembly, Munda enjoys the support of 45 legislators.
Source: IANS