PM Narendra Modi to attend Jharkhand CM designate Raghubar Das' swearing-in
Ranchi/New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, under whose leadership BJP fought the Assembly elections in Jharkhand, will attend the swearing-in ceremony of Chief Minister-designate Raghubar Das on Sunday.
"Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the swearing-in ceremony at Birsa Munda Football Stadium tomorrow," Jharkhand Home Secretary N N Pandey said.
He said Chief Ministers of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh - Shivraj Singh Chauhan and Raman Singh respectively - were among several others to be present here.
The date and timing for the swearing-in ceremony was fixed after Das yesterday staked claim to form the 10th government of BJP/AJSU party alliance after winning a combined 42 of the 81 seats in the elections that spanned over five phases.
The party has not yet disclosed as to how many members would join Das in taking the oath of office and secrecy. Jharkhand can have a maximum of 12 ministers, including the Chief Minister.
Ahead of his swearing-in Das met BJP President Amit Shah on Saturday and discussed with him government formation in the state.
The 59-year-old BJP leader, a national vice-president of the party who will be the first non-tribal Chief Minister of the state, drove to Shah's residence and held discussions with him.
"I had a positive discussion with the party president. I discussed government formation and will work according to the party's directions," he told reporters after meeting Shah.
The meeting assumes significance as Chief Minister-designate Das, a five-time MLA, will have to do a fine balancing act to ensure that tribals, who are the largest community in the state, get adequate representation.
He was yesterday elected leader of the BJP's legislature party in a meeting of the newly-elected party MLAs.
This is the first time BJP along with its pre-poll ally has got an absolute majority in 81-member state Assembly.
While BJP has 37 members, its ally AJSU has five, taking their total tally to 42.
Das, who joined BJP as a simple worker and gradually rose through its ranks, became a minister for the first time after the creation of Jharkhand in the Babulal Marandi government and got berths in the subsequent two governments led by Arjun Munda before becoming the deputy chief minister in the Shibu Soren-led government in 2009.
