Baby Deve, wife of former Jharkhand minister Jagarnath Mahto, on Monday took oath as a minister in the Hemant Soren-led UPA government in Jharkhand. He took oath in the presence of CM Soren in Ranchi.
Governor CP Radhakrishnan administered him the oath of office and secrecy in a program at Raj Bhavan.
A ministerial post in the Hemant Soren cabinet fell vacant after the death of Jagarnath Mahto, who held the charge of School Education and Literacy and Excise Department.
Mahto, a four-time JMM MLA from Dumri in Giridih district, died during treatment at a hospital in Chennai on April 6 after prolonged illness due to COVID-19 complications.
Devi is the second JMM leader to become a minister in the current UPA government before being elected to the assembly.
Earlier, Hafizul Ansari took oath as minister on February 6, 2021. Later, he won the Madhupur by-election on May 2, 2021.
(with PTI inputs)
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