Kamal Nath Sworn In As Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister

Congress leader Kamal Nath (72) was sworn in as the 18th Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, in Bhopal on Monday, December 17. Governor Anandiben Patel administered the oath of office to Mr. Nath. On Friday, December 15 the Governor invited Mr. Nath to form a government.

The Congress on Thursday, December 14 named Mr. Nath, the nine-time Lok Sabha member from Chhindwara, to head the State Congress Legislature Party, after hours of hectic parleys held by party president Rahul Gandhi with senior party leaders.

Mr. Nath, who has held several portfolios in the Union Cabinet, was appointed the Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee president on April 26 and was at the forefront in steering the party to a win in the November 28 Assembly polls. The results were declared on December 11.

The Congress, which won 114 seats, has the support of one Samajwadi Party legislator, two Bahujan Samaj Party MLAs, and four independents, to cross the majority mark of 116 seats in the 230-member Assembly.

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The BJP, which ruled the State for 15 years, got 109 seats in this elections. It's Shivraj Singh Chouhan was the State’s longest serving Chief Minister since taking charge in 2005.

Those present at the swearing-in ceremony included Rahul Gandhi, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, AICC general secretary Mallikarjun Kharge, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, his deputy Sachin Pilot, MP Jyotiraditya Scindia, former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Punjab Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu.

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Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar, National Conference president Farooq Abdullah, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, Loktantrik Janata Dal leader Sharad Yadav, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam’s M.K. Stalin, Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav, and Mr. Chouhan were also present.