Ramesh Bais on Wednesday succeeded Droupadi Murmu as the 10th governor of Jharkhand by taking oath of office at the Raj Bhavan.
Jharkhand high court’s chief justice Rajiv Ranjan administered him the oath. Prior to this, chief secretary Sukhdev Singh read the warrant of appointment of Bais issued by the President of India on July 6 setting the stage for the swearing-in ceremony.
Chief minister Hemant Soren greets governor Ramesh Bais after the oath taking ceremony at Raj Bhavan on Wednesday. Telegraph picture
Speaking briefly with a few electronic media after the ceremony, Bais said that he will try to work as a team with the state government, which is led by JMM. He said, "I believe in work and nothing else. That will be my focus. I am told the chief minister that we can sit down to understand issues of the state whenever he is free to do so. I have told CM that I am here to work as a colleague keeping state's interest above everything."
Chief minister Hemant Soren and his cabinet ministers were present during the meeting. Other justices from the high court, senior bureaucrats of the state government, a few BJP MPs, Ranchi mayor Asha Lakra were among the attendees.
Bais, 74, was the governor of Tripura before being transferred to Jharkhand. He originally hails from Chattisgarh, and has been a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party and served as a Union Minister of State (Independent charge) for Environment and Forests during late Atal Bihari Vajpayee's government from 1999. He was elected to the 9th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th and 16th Lok Sabha from Raipur.
Chief justice Rajiv Ranjan with governor Ramesh Bais during the national anthem. Telegraph picture
Chief minister Hemant Soren extended greetings to Bais by handing him a bouquet after the ceremony. He said that both state government and Raj Bhavan will work together to turn the wheels of development in the state.
BJP MP from Ranchi, Sanjay Seth said that Bais’s long and illustrious political experience will be fruitful for the development of Jharkhand. “We all welcome the new governor and I am sure that his presence here will go a long way in taking the state forward. He has been a long term lawmaker and has immense political experience which will be advantageous for Jharkhand,” he said.
