- विज्ञापन -
Patna: Arif Mohammad Khan took the oath as the 42nd Governor of Bihar on Thursday at Rajendra Mandapam, Raj Bhavan. The oath of office and secrecy was administered by Patna High Court Chief Justice Krishnan Vinod Chandran.
The ceremony was attended by notable figures, including Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary, and other officials.
Khan, who previously served as Governor of Kerala, succeeds Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar. Before taking the oath, he paid his respects to former President Rajendra Prasad at his memorial in Patna.
Upon arriving in Patna on Monday, Khan expressed to the media his commitment to fulfilling his duties in line with the esteemed traditions of the state. He is the second individual from the minority community to hold the Governor’s post in Bihar, following A. R. Kidwai, who served from 1993 to 1998.
Khan has had a diverse political career, being associated with various parties, including the Janata Party, Lok Dal, Bahujan Samaj Party, Congress, and BJP. Notably, he was a Union Minister alongside Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and is recognized for resigning from Congress over the Shah Bano case.
On December 24, President Droupadi Murmu appointed governors for five states, including Vijay Kumar Singh for Mizoram, Hari Babu Kambhampati for Odisha, Ajay Kumar Bhalla for Manipur, and Rajendra Viswanath Arlekar for Kerala.
Khan’s tenure in Kerala was marked by frequent conflicts with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, particularly regarding the latter’s attempts to influence state universities. This tension escalated to a point where Khan refused to sign several important ordinances and bills, prompting the state government to approach the Supreme Court for resolution.
