Former Minister Jagarnath Mahto’s wife Baby Devi was sworn-in as a Minister on July 3, in the Hemant Soren-led government in Jharkhand. Governor C.P. Radhakrishnan administered the oath of office and secrecy. The former State Education Minister Mahto had passed away at a Chennai hospital on April 6, 2023.
Jagarnath Mahto was a four-time MLA from Dumri Assembly seat in Giridih and is survived by a son and four daughters. Initially there was talk of offering the Ministerial berth to his son but he is below 25 years. Party sources said that keeping the OBC vote bank in mind Mr. Soren has taken the decision to allot Ministerial berth to Mahto’s wife. The by-election for Dumri Assembly seat is going to be announced soon and following the oath-taking ceremony Baby Devi is being seen as a comfirmed candidate from Dumri.
At the Raj Bhavan, Chief Secretary Sukhdev Singh read out the opening for taking the oath citing Article 164 (1) of the Constitution. Principal Secretary to the Governor Nitin Madan Kulkarni invited Ms. Devi to take oath but she faltered while reading it out. This moment made rounds on social media, with comparisons being made to when Rabri Devi took the oath as the Chief Minister of Bihar in 1997.
On Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s Facebook page, while several extended congratulations to him and Ms. Devi, others raised questions on the induction of Ms. Devi in the Cabinet.
The swearing-in ceremony also became the talk of the town as many supporters of Ms. Devi and JMM gathered outside the Raj Bhavan to attend the function were not allowed to enter Durbar Hall. Jharkhand Drinking Water and Sanitation Minister (DWSD) minister Mithilesh Thakur got angry and returned from the gate after his supporters were not allowed to enter Raj Bhavan. Mr. Thakur had arrived in the car with a bouquet but the security guards said that only the Minister is allowed following which he did not take part in the oath taking ceremony.
