Ranchi, Feb 2 (UNI) Champai Soren was sworn in as the new Chief Minister of Jharkhand here on Friday.

Soren was administered the oath of office and secrecy by state Governor C P Radhakrishnan at a solemn function in the Raj Bhavan here.

The veteran Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader heads a coalition where Congress and Rashtriya Janata Dal are the other constituents. He has been asked to prove his majority in the Assembly within ten days.

Sixty-seven-year-old Soren replaces his party leader Hemant Soren, who resigned on Wednesday night and has been arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case linked to an alleged land scam.

Champai Soren, who has become the seventh chief minister of Jharkhand, is a four-time MLA in the tribal-majority eastern state. He earlier was elected as a legislator in Bihar before Jharkhand's formation.

The 1956-born Champai Soren was the minister in charge of Transport, Scheduled Tribes, Scheduled Caste & Backward class welfare in Hemant Soren's cabinet.

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