Seeking to give stability to his coalition government, Jharkhand Chief Minister Madhu Koda on Thursday night made independent MLA Stephen Marandi and JMM MLA Sudhir Mahto as his deputies and distributed portfolios among his 11-member cabinet, making the duo in charge of key ministries.
This is the first time Jharkhand will have two Deputy Chief Ministers. Marandi had been the Deputy Chief Minister in the Shibu Soren government last year.
"One more minister will be added to the cabinet very soon," Koda told newsmen soon after submitting the list of portfolios to the governor.
Eleven ministers took oath on separate dates. The cabinet in Jharkhand can have a maximum of 12 ministers including the Chief Minister, as per the Constitution limit on the size of the ministry.
Marandi has been given charge of Finance, Commerce and Parliamentary Affairs while Mahto will look after industry, forest and environment portfolios, the communiqué said.
The Chief Minister kept with him the home department, personnel, road construction, planning and development, energy, health, family welfare, law, mines and geology, public relations department, labour, institutional finance, civil aviation and other such departments which have not been allotted.
Koda recommended their names for Deputy Chief Ministers' post to Governor Syed Sibtey Razi, a Raj Bhavan communiqué said.
{{/usCountry}}Koda recommended their names for Deputy Chief Ministers' post to Governor Syed Sibtey Razi, a Raj Bhavan communiqué said.
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