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6-time Himachal CM Virbhadra passes away

He had twice recovered from Covid-19. He had suffered from heart attack on July 5 and was in the critical care unit of the IGMCH…reports Asian Lite News.

Congress veteran and six-time Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh passed away on early Thursday at the Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital (IGMCH) here after a three-month long battle with post-Covid complications, doctors said. He was 87.

IGMCH Senior Medical Superintendent Janak Raj said that Virbhadra Singh died at 3.40 a.m., was the sitting legislator from Arki in Solan district, once the pocket borough of the BJP.

He had twice recovered from Covid-19. He had suffered from heart attack on July 5 and was in the critical care unit of the IGMCH. Later, he was put on ventilator after he had breathing problem.

His cremation is likely to take place at his native place Rampur. Popularly known as ‘Raja Saab’ as he was born heir into the erstwhile princely state of Bushahr, Virbhadra Singh was in active politics for over 50 years.

In the last decade of his political career, he was in a regular target of the top BJP leadership, who pointed to his being out on bail and facing corruption charges during the time he was the Union Steel Minister 2009-11.

In every elections — be it the Assembly or the parliamentary — Virbhadra Singh single-handedly campaigned and conducted 15 to 20 meetings every day. Political observers say his death will a big vacuum for the Congress leadership.

He was the nine-time legislator and five-time MP. In the last assembly elections in 2017, Virbhadra Singh and his son Vikramaditya Singh won in their constituencies, even as their Congress party lost power.

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Dhami sworn in as Uttarakhand’s 11th CM

As per constitutional provisions, the Uttarakhand cabinet can have maximum 12 ministers including the Chief Minister…reports Asian Lite News.

BJP leader Pushkar Singh Dhami was on Sunday sworn-in as the 11th Chief Minister of Uttarakhand.

Governor Baby Rani Maurya administered the oath to him and 11 others ministers at a function in Raj Bhavan in Dehradun.

The new ministers are Satpal Maharaj, Harak Singh Rawat, Bansidhar Bhagat, Yashpal Arya, Bishan Singh Chupal, Subodh Uniyal, Arvind Pandey, Ganesh Joshi, Dhan Singh Rawat, Rekha Arya, and Yatishwaranand. All were also part of the previous Tirath Singh Rawat government.

As per constitutional provisions, the Uttarakhand cabinet can have maximum 12 ministers including the Chief Minister.

The swearing-in of Dhami and his ministers has also put to rest all speculations of rebellion by senior leaders Satpal Maharaj, Harak Singh Rawat and others over the election of Dhami.

Also, hours before swearing-in ceremony, Harak Singh Rawat, Arya, and Chupal had told IANS that there is no in-fighting and swearing-in of Dhami cabinet will be held as per schedule in the evening.

Dhami was elected Chief Minister at the meeting of the BJP’s legislative party in Dehradun on Saturday. The meeting was held in the presence of Central observers, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar and BJP national General Secretary D. Purandeswari. The party’s in-charge for Uttarakhand, Dushyant Gautam, was also present.

He replaces Tirath Singh Rawat, who late on Friday evening submitted his resignation to the Governor, as he was unlikely to be elected to the state Assembly by the stipulated period.

A two-time MLA from Khatima constituency in Udham Singh Nagar district, Dhami, 45, was active in student politics and held different positions in RSS student wing ABVP for almost a decade. He has also served as the President of the state BJP youth wing.

Dhami, however, has never held any ministerial position in the past.

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Himanta keeps his promise to wife


“It is always Himanta for me and our children. I cannot relate to him as the CM. It would take some time for me to feel that he is the executive head of a state,” said Riniki Bhuyan Sarma, a media entrepreneur…reports Asian Lite News.

“Inform your mother, I will be the Chief Minister one day”, new Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, then a student of Cotton College, had told his future wife Riniki Bhuyan Sarma, in their university days.

After the swearing-in-ceremony at the famous Srimanta Sankardeva Kalakshetra, she said that this was the answer the then 22-year-old Sarma gave her when she asked what should she tell her mother about his future career.

“When we first met, he was 22 and I was 17,” a smiling Riniki Bhuyan Sarma said.

They had married on June 7, 2001 when he became the member of the Assam Assembly for the first time.

“He was a Minister for several years, but when I was watching him taking the oath as Chief Minister today (Monday), I could not believe it,” she told the media. She said that even last night, he told her that he is the Chief Minister-designate and “I asked him ‘kun’ (who), he replied ‘moi’ (I am)”.

“It is always Himanta for me and our children. I cannot relate to him as the CM. It would take some time for me to feel that he is the executive head of a state,” said Riniki Bhuyan Sarma, a media entrepreneur.

“A person in public life has to face many odds and challenges but I am confident that he would solve the issues and tasks as he is a person who thinks positively both with his heart and mind besides both sides of the issues,” the CM’s wife said.

The couple have two children – Nandil and Sukanya. Nandil did his schooling at the Doon School and passed his Class 12 in 2020 and Sukanya passed the secondary exam in the same year.

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READ MORE-Assam CM likely to be decided on Sunday

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Himanta 3rd disgruntled Cong leader to become Chief Minister

In October 2016, Singh resigned from the Manipur Assembly and the Congress to join the BJP, rebelling against the then Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh…reports Asian Lite News.

It is a dream come true for Himanta Biswa Sarma as the BJP on Sunday announced that he will be the next Assam Chief Minister.

The announcement was made by Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar after the legislature party meeting in Guwahati. Sarma will succeed his party colleague Sarbananda Sonowal.

The disgruntled Sarma, who had left the Congress to join the BJP, will be the 15th Chief Minister of Assam.

Sarma had quit the Tarun Gogoi-led Congress government ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha polls and the party in 2015. During the Congress regime in the state, Sarma held several portfolios, such as Agriculture, Planning & Development, Finance, Health, and Education.

Sources said that Sarma had dreamt of becoming the Chief Minister of the state.

Opposing Chief Minister Gogoi’s leadership, he switched over to the BJP. Though he did not succeed in becoming the Chief Minister after the BJP’s victory in the 2016 Assembly elections, but this time, considering his hard work in the 2021 Assembly polls, the party decided to give him the post, replacing outgoing Chief Minister Sonowal.

BJP workers .

Chief Minister of BJP-ruled Manipur N. Biren Singh has also been in the Congress. Biren Singh became a minister in 2002 after winning the first Assembly election as a Democratic Revolutionary Peoples Party (DRPP) candidate. In 2007, he won on a Congress ticket and then became a minister in the government.

In October 2016, Singh resigned from the Manipur Assembly and the Congress to join the BJP, rebelling against the then Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh.

On March 15, 2017, he became the first Chief Minister of the BJP in Manipur.

Pema Khandu, a 41-year-old Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh, has also served in the Congress. Khandu, who started his career as the party’s Tawang district President in 2010, won the unopposed Assembly elections in 2011 from his father’s seat Mukto.

He was sworn in as Chief Minister on July 17, 2016 at the age of 37 in the Congress government.

Himant (ANI)

However, on September 16, 2016, Khandu left the Congress with 43 MLAs of the party and joined the People’s Party of Arunachal and formed a coalition government with the BJP.

When the People’s Party started action against Khandu, on December 31, 2016, he joined the BJP along with 33 MLAs of the People’s Party of Arunachal and formed the government.

In the Arunachal Pradesh Assembly elections held in 2019, his party won 41 of the 60 seats, to again became the Chief Minister.

Also Read-Assam CM likely to be decided on Sunday

Read More-ELECTION UPDATES 2021: NDA leads in Assam

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Mamata sworn in as CM for 3rd time

The oath taking ceremony started after Governor Jagdeep Dhankar entered the hall at 10.44 a.m. and his entry was followed by the national anthem. The ceremony started at 10.45 a.m. and lasted for seven minutes where Mamata Banerjee took her oath in Bengali…reports Saibal Gupta.

Mamata Banerjee after taking her oath as West Bengal CM for the third consecutive time in an unembellished function at the ‘Throne Room’ in Raj Bhavan in Kolkata on Wednesday morning announced that handling the Covid situation in the state and tackling post-poll violence and the overall law and order situation in the state will be her priority.

The chief minister’s convoy left her residence at Harish Chatterjee Street popularly known as Kalighat at 10.10 a.m. and reached Raj Bhawan at 10.20 a.m. Like any other day she sat by the side of the driver but the usual scene of people standing by the side of the road to have a glimpse of the chief minister was missing because she had requested everybody to stay indoors. Though the curious eyes were absent but the entire road was decorated with blue-white — the colour combination branded by Trinamool Congress and large footballs — highlighting the party’s theme song — ‘Khela Hobe’ (We will play).

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee who was escorted by her nephew Abhishek Banerjee and poll strategist Prashant Kishore reached Raj Bhawan and exchanged pleasantries with the guest that included Trinamool hierarchy Arup Biswas, Subrata Mukherjee, Partha Chatterjee, Subrata Bakshi and Firhad Hakim. Though opposition leaders and personalities like BJP state President Dilip Ghosh, Congress state President Adhir Ranjan Cowdhury, veteran leader Abdul Mannan, Left Front Chairman Biman Basu, former chief minister Buddhadeb Bahttacharjee and BCCI President Sourav Ganguly were invited but they were not present.

Mamata Banerjee takes oath as West Bengal CM for the third consecutive time at Raj Bhavan in Kolkata (photo: Pallav Paliwal)

The oath taking ceremony started after Governor Jagdeep Dhankar entered the hall at 10.44 a.m. and his entry was followed by the national anthem. The ceremony started at 10.45 a.m. and lasted for seven minutes where Mamata Banerjee took her oath in Bengali.

Speaking to the media after that the chief minister said, “I shall start my work from today only. I shall go to Nanbanna and do a high-level meeting on the Covid situation in the state. We need to review the situation and several measures will be announced in the evening. We hope we will be able to control the situation as we did before”.

Mamata Banerjee takes oath as West Bengal CM for the third consecutive time at Raj Bhavan in Kolkata (photo: Pallav Paliwal)

“I would also like to take this opportunity to appeal to all people and workers of all political parties to maintain peace and harmony. Bengal has a culture and we should not forget that. There are some sporadic incidents. I have got information but the administration was not in my hand for the last three months. I assure everybody to take necessary action and handle the situation strongly but before that I would like to appeal to everybody to stay in a peaceful manner,” she added.

Ghosh had told the media that he decided to quit the oath taking ceremony because a lot of the BJP workers are being killed all over the state in post poll violence. State Congress President Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said that he didn’t receive any invitation letter from the government.

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