Jai Ram Thakur takes oath as Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister

Shimla: Jai Ram Thakur on Wednesday was sworn in as the Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister at a ceremony here attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP President Amit Shah among others.

Governor Acharya Devvrat administered the oath of office and secrecy to Thakur, who is turning 53 on January 6. This will be his maiden term as Chief Minister.

The swearing-in ceremony was held amid beating of drums and playing of 'shehnais' at the historic Ridge with Union Ministers and Chief Ministers of BJP-ruled states in attendance, along with more than 30,000 party supporters from across the state, mostly dressed up in traditional attires.

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Five-time legislator Thakur, who rose through the ranks and is known for his humble, clean and low-profile nature, ahead of the ceremony said his top priorities would be restoring law and order situation, to do away with the VIP culture, to review all decisions of the previous Congress government in past three months and to minimise wasteful expenditure.

Thakur's family members, comprising his 80-year-old widowed mother, who belonged to a remote village in Mandi district, attended the ceremony.

--Inputs from IANS