Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party's (NDPP) leader Neiphiu Rio and National People's Party chief Conrad Sangma on Tuesday took oath as the chief ministers of Nagaland and Meghalaya respectively.
Rio is becoming Nagaland CM for the fifth term, while Sangma becomes the Meghalaya CM for the second consecutive term. Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended both the ceremonies.
Rio, 72-year-old politician, was administered the oath of secrecy by Governor La Ganesan.
T. R. Zeliang and Y. Patton were sworn-in as the deputy chief ministers of the state, while other members of the Rio cabinet also took oath.
State BJP chief Temjen Imna Along, and Salhoutuonuo Kruse, one of the two women elected to Nagaland assembly for the first time, were among those who were sworn-in as members of the council of ministers.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP president J P Nadda and Assam Chief Minister and NEDA convenor Himanta Biswa Sarma were among those present on the occasion.
Rio will lead an all-party oppositionless government, even as the NDPP-BJP alliance secured 37 seats in the 60-member House in the recent assembly polls in the northeastern state.
All other parties in the state have extended their letters of support to the Rio-led alliance.
Meghalaya
Sangama along with his 11 council of ministers sworn in on Tuesday. NPP's Prestone Tynsong and Sniawbhalang Dhar took oath as deputy chief ministers.
BJP's Alexander Laloo Hek, UDP's Paul Lyngdoh and Kyrmen Shylla, and Shakliar Warjri of the HSPDP also took oath as ministers.
In all seven other MLAs from the National People's Party (NPP), two from the UDP and one each from BJP and HSPDP were also administered the oath of secrecy as members in Sangma's cabinet by Governor Phagu Chauhan at Raj Bhavan.
Interestingly the saffron party had described Sangma's government as most corrupt in the run up to the election but was the among the first parties to strike a post election deal to set up a government in the northeastern state.
Marcuise N. Marak, Rakkam A. Sangma, Ampareen Lyngdoh, Comingone Ymbon and A. T. Mondal were among those from the NPP who were sworn-in as cabinet ministers.
The NPP-led alliance has 45 MLAs including 26 from NPP and two from the BJP.
(With PTI inputs)
