Veteran BJP leader Lalji Tandon sworn in as Bihar governor

Veteran BJP leader Lalji Tandon was today sworn in as the 39th governor of Bihar.

He was administered the oath of office by Chief Justice of Patna High Court Mukesh R Shah at Raj Bhavan here in the presence of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi among others.

Tandon replaced Satya Pal Malik, who took over as the governor of Jammu and Kashmir earlier in the day.

Born in Lucknow on April 12, 1935, Tandon began his political career in the 1970s. He served as a member of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council for two terms.

Upon the BJP's ascension to power in UP, he also served as a minister on more than one occasion.

Known to be close to Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Tandon won the Lucknow Lok Sabha seat in 2009, the same year the former prime minister announced his retirement from active politics on account of poor health.

(PTI)