Daijiworld Media Network - Kohima
Kohuma, Mar 13: Veteran politician Nand Kishore Yadav was sworn in as the 23rd governor of Nagaland on Friday at a ceremony held in Kohima. The oath of office and secrecy was administered by Ashutosh Kumar at the Raj Bhavan complex, known as Lok Bhavan.
The swearing-in ceremony was attended by several senior leaders, including chief minister Neiphiu Rio, deputy chief ministers Yanthungo Patton and T. R. Zeliang, along with members of the state cabinet and senior civil, security and military officials. The event was conducted by the state’s chief secretary Sentiyanger Imchen.
Congratulating Yadav on assuming office, Rio expressed confidence that the new governor would contribute to the development and governance of the state.
The appointment was part of a broader reshuffle of governors and lieutenant governors announced on March 5 by President Droupadi Murmu across several states and union territories.
Yadav takes over from Ajay Kumar Bhalla, who had been holding additional charge of Nagaland since August 25 last year while serving as the Governor of Manipur. Bhalla, a former Union Home Secretary, had been assigned the responsibility following the death of the previous Nagaland Governor La. Ganesan on August 15 at a hospital in Chennai at the age of 80.
Seventy-three-year-old Yadav began his public life with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh in 1969 and later became active in the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad in 1971. Over the years, he emerged as a key leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party in Bihar and served as the party’s state president from 1998 to 2003.
In February 2024, Yadav was elected as the 17th Speaker of the Bihar Legislative Assembly. During his political career, he has also held several important ministerial portfolios in the Bihar government.
A seasoned legislator, Yadav has been elected seven times as an MLA from the Patna Sahib constituency, earlier known as the Patna Paschim Assembly seat, representing the BJP. His appointment as Governor is widely seen as recognition of his long-standing contributions to public life and politics.