Koda sworn in as Jharkhand CM

Ranchi: Madhu Koda was on Monday sworn is as Jharkhand Chief Minister.

Elaborate security arrangements had been made ahead of Koda's swearing-in ceremony that took place at 1500 hrs (IST) at the open Morahbadi ground.

The swearing-in ceremony, was the state's fifth in less than six years of its existence, Arjun Munda being the only leader to take oath twice.

Koda is scheduled to address the press at the state secretariat later in the evening. Jharkhand, as per the constitution, can have a strength of twelve ministers, including the chief minsiter.

A social activist-turned politician

A social worker-turned-politician, 35-year-old Koda is perhaps the second youngest person to occupy the high post after Prafulla Kumar Mahanta of Assam.

Born on January 6, 1971 at Patahatu in West Singhbhum district, Koda became a social activist in 1989 and later completed his graduation.

Koda brings with him the experience of working as a minister in the BJP-led NDA governments of Babulal Marandi and Arjun Munda.

Koda, who entered the Assembly as a BJP member in 2000 from Jagannathpur constituency, became the Panchayati Raj minister in Babulal Marandi government and also found place in the ministry when Arjun Munda took over as Chief Minister in 2003.

Though he idolised BJP stalwart Atal Bihari Vajpayee, he had contested the 2005 assembly elections as an independent after BJP denied him a ticket. He, however, supported the BJP-led NDA government in March that year.

He had good rapport with Babulal Marandi who has since resigned from BJP. He also never showed any public resentment against Arjun Munda till he took exception to a contractor's call which he interpreted as a threat.

He brought this issue up in the Assembly during the monsoon session, to which Munda said a day later in Jamshedpur that it was not a threat call.