File Photo: Kamla Beniwal
Dr Kamla Beniwal was sworn-in as the 12th Governor of Mizoram on Wednesday, hours after her predecessor Vakkom B. Purushothaman left the state.
On behalf of Gauhati High Court Chief Justice Abhya Manohar Sapre, Justice B.K. Sharma administered the oath of office to the first woman governor of Mizoram at the Durbar Hall of the Raj Bhavan here.
The swearing-in ceremony was attended by Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla and his cabinet colleagues, Assembly Speaker Hiphei, MLAs and top government officials.
Dr Beniwal, who was Governor of Gujarat before taking over the gubernatorial position in the north eastern state, was born on January 12, 1927 at Gorir village of Rajasthan's Jhunjhunu district.
She became the first woman minister in Rajasthan in 1954 at the age of 27 years and later became the deputy Chief Minister of the state.
A few hours before Dr Beniwal's oath taking, Purushothaman left the state after a hurriedly organised farewell at the Lengpui airport near here.
Raj Bhavan sources here said he would first go to Chennai for medical check-up and then go to his home state Kerala.
The farewell had to be organised in a hurry as the Governor's visit to Chennai was planned earlier, before his new appointment to Nagaland with additional charge of Tripura was announced, protocol department officials said.
They said, because of lack of time the farewell could not be held at the Raj Bhavan where Purushothaman was sworn-in as the Mizoram Governor on September 2, 2011.