Raghubar Das sworn-in as first non-tribal Chief Minister of Jharkhand

BJP leader Raghubar Das was sworn-in as tenth Chief Minister of Jharkhand on 28 December 2014. 59-year-old Raghubar Das is the first non-tribal Chief Minister of Jharkhand since the state came into being on 15 November 2000.

The oath of office and secrecy was administered by the Jharkhand Governor Syed Ahmed at a ceremony held at the Birsa Munda football stadium in Morhabadi in Ranchi.

Apart from Das, four ministers (three from the BJP and one from the All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU) were sworn-in as ministers. They are
• Ranchi MLA and former speaker of Jharkhand assembly - CP Singh of BJP
• Dhanbad MLA - Dr Louis Marandi of BJP
• Khunti MLA - Neelkanth Singh Munda of BJP  
• Ramgarh MLA and former minister - Chandra Prakash Choudhary (only MLA from AJSU party)

About Raghubar Das
• Raghubar Das is a five-time MLA from East Jamshedpur
• In August 2014, he was elected as BJP national vice president
• He also served as BJP President in Jharkhand
• After the 2009 Assembly elections, he was appointed as the deputy chief minister in the Shibu Soren government
• He had served as a minister in Jharkhand in the governments led by Babulal Marandi, Arjun Munda and held portfolios of finance, labour and urban development during his stint as cabinet minister
• For the first time, he was elected as MLA to the undivided Bihar assembly in 1995
• He also has served Tata Steel in Jamshedpur as a Grade 4 employee
• Das belongs to the influential Vaishya community
• Das, during his education days at the Jamshedpur Co-operative College was an active student union leader and joined the student movement launched by Loknayak Jaiprakash Narayan in 1974.
• He was born on 3 May 1955 in Bhalubasa area of Jamshedpur

Comment
Jharkhand as a state has seen ten Chief Ministers including Das since its creation in 2000. It has also witnessed three stints of President's Rule. Previous Chief Ministers of Jharkhand include Babulal Marandi, Arjun Munda, Shibu Soren, Madhu Koda and Hemant Soren, all of these were tribal leaders.