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Gomango sworn in as Orissa CM

Former Union communication minister and senior Congress MP, Giridhar Gomango, was today sworn in as the new chief minister of Orissa, marking a change in leadership after a spate of violence, including the burning alive of a missionary and his two minor sons, that sent shockwaves around the country.

Acting Orissa governor Dr C Rangarajan administered the oath of office and secrecy to Gomango at a simple function at the Bhubaneswar Raj Bhavan this afternoon .

Gomango took his oath in Oriya.

He succeeds J B Patnaik, who resigned on February 12 last owning moral responsibility for the series of violent incidents, including attacks on the Christians, in the state.

Gomango, a teacher-turned-politician, is the second tribal leader to become the chief minister of Orissa.

The tribal leader of south Orissa had been successfully representing the Koraput (ST) Lok Sabha seat for eight times in a row, since 1972.

Earlier in the day, Gomango went to the residence of Pradesh Congress chief Hemananda Biswal and then proceeded to the PCC to address his partymen.

In his first address at Congress Bhavan, Gomango said he never thought of becoming the chief minister of the state at any point of time. But because of Congress president Sonia Gandhi's blessings and the support of Congress MLAs, he accepted the responsibility and sought his partymen's cooperation to deliver the goods.

Patnaik, Biswal and several former ministers of the outgoing ministry, senior leaders and party MLAs, besides senior government officials, were present at the swearing-in ceremony.

Immediately after the swearing-in, Gomango drove to the governor's house from where he went to the state secretariat to take over as the new chief minister.

Party sources said the chief minister would commence government formation only after his return from Delhi where he is scheduled to attend the February 19 National Development Council meeting.

UNI

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