Gamlin sworn in as AP CM
Source: The Sangai Express / TNN
Itanagar, May 06 2011:
Power minister and government spokesman Jarbom Gamlin was sworn in as the new chief minister of Arunachal Pradesh on Thursday evening.
Governor General (retd) JJ Singh administered the oath of office and secrecy to Gamlin at a simple function at the Durbar Hall of Raj Bhavan here.
Earlier in the evening, the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) met here to elect the successor of Dorjee Khandu, who died in a helicopter crash on Saturday near Se La.
The CLP elected Gamlin as the new leader after a marathon meeting in the presence of Union ministers Salman Khursheed, BK Handique, V Narayanswamy, Mukul Wasnik and Vincent Pala.
The CLP then sent a one-line resolution to AICC president Sonia Gandhi authorizing her to select the new leader.
After being sworn in, Gamlin said, "The late chief minister has set a high standard of development in the state.
My priority will be to fulfil his dream for a bright Arunachal" .
Asked about an inquiry into the crash, Gamlin said he would first form his cabinet, which will decide on ordering an inquiry.
A senior Congress leader said the opinions of party MLAs were obtained individually by central leaders.
Though there were four leaders in the fray, insiders in state Congress say Gamlin commands majority support of the MLAs.
Others who were in the race were Arunachal Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president and PWD minister Nabam Tuki, finance minister Setong Sena and RWD minister Kalikho Pul, party sources said.
Gamlin, a close aide of Khandu, was the home minister when he became chief minister in April 2007 .
After Khandu brought Congress to power again in the 2009 assembly elections, Gamlin was allotted the most important power portfolio.
He was also made the state government spokesman.
Born in 1961 to a Galo tribal family at Aalo in West Siang district, Gamlin has five brothers and two sisters.
He did his schooling from Sainik School, Goalpara, in 1977 and graduated with history honours from St Stephen's College, Delhi, in 1982.He completed his LLB from Campus Law College, Delhi University, in 1984 and practised as a lawyer in Dibrugarh, Assam.
He was president of Arunachal Pradesh Bar Association from 1992 to 2001 .
He was also a president of powerful All Arunachal Pradesh Students' Union (Aapsu) from 1981 to 1983. Gamlin entered politics in 1999 when he won the Arunachal West Lok Sabha seat as a Congress nominee defeating Omak Apang, son of former chief minister Gegong Apang.
He was elected to the state assembly in 2004 from Liromoba constituency in West Siang and became the home minister under Gegong Apang.
But he was dropped from the ministry over differences with Apang.
He was instrumental in toppling the Apang ministry in April 2007 and bringing Khandu to power.