Neeraj Kumar
Patna: Arif Mohammad Khan was sworn in as the 42nd Governor of Bihar in a ceremony held at Raj Bhavan today. Chief Justice of Patna High Court, Krishnan Vinod Chandran, administered the oath of office and secrecy.
The former Governor of Kerala was joined by prominent leaders, including Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav, and both Deputy Chief Ministers, along with other ministers, at the event.
Speaking to the media after the ceremony, Governor Khan praised Bihar’s potential, stating, “There is a lot of talent in Bihar. The people here are very energetic and play a significant role in the country’s progress. As Governor, I will do whatever is possible for the development of Bihar.”
When asked about his recent meeting with RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav at Rabri Devi’s residence on New Year’s Day, Khan clarified that it was a reunion with old friends from the JP movement era. “Can’t I meet my old friends?” he asked journalists.
Bihar has a Muslim Governor after 26 years, the last being AR Kidwai, who served from 1993 to 1998. Khan’s appointment during an election year has sparked discussions, with speculation that the BJP-led central government replaced Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar with Khan to influence RJD’s ‘MY’ (Muslim-Yadav) voter base.
Arif Mohammad Khan, who has previously served as Kerala’s Governor, has a diverse political background, having been associated with the Janata Party, Lok Dal, Bahujan Samaj Party, Congress, and Bharatiya Janata Party. He gained prominence for resigning from the Congress over the Shah Bano case and was a Union Cabinet minister alongside Nitish Kumar.
