BHUBANESWAR, FEB 17: Former Union Minister Giridhar Gomango was today sworn-in as the 15th Chief Minister of Orissa, succeeding J B Patnaik who had resigned in the wake of attacks on Christians in the State.The 56-year-old tribal leader was administered the oath of office and secrecy by Acting Governor C Rangaranjan at a simple ceremony at Raj Bhawan here.Soon after his swearing-in, Gomango, a Lok Sabha member, told reporters that he would constitute his council of ministers by February 22 at the latest, after discussions with Congress President Sonia Gandhi.He said the question of whether there should be a Deputy Chief Minister, and the size of his Ministry would be finalised after discussions with the party high command.Gomango said the Budget Session of the State Assembly, convened on February 22, had been deferred to March 15.The new Government might present a vote on account and go in for a full-fledged Budget later, he said.Asked if was facing difficulty in forming his Ministry, as no other minister took oath today, Gomango said, ``There is no difficulty. I only wanted to discuss the matter with the party high command.''Gomango, the second tribal Chief Minister of Orissa, has an impeccable ``Mr Clean image'' and the ability to steer clear of the factional feud in the Congress.In a release circulated at the press conference, Gomango said that his Government would strive for greater transparency in administration and work for betterment of scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, backward classes, minorities, women and other weaker sections of society.The new Government would foster a climate of tolerance among various sections of the people, he said.The process of delegating powers to Panchayati Raj institutions would be expedited, to enable elected representatives play a major role in meeting the genuine aspirations of people, Gomango said.His Government would give priority to proper utilisation of the vast natural resources of the State, he said, adding that productivity had to improve substantially within the shortest possible time.A former school teacher in Orissa's tribal-dominated Koraput district, Gomango, initiated into electoral politics by his uncle nearly three decades ago, rose to the helm of affairs relying mainly on his clean image and fortitude in the most trying circumstances.Having won eight consecutive victories in the Lok Sabha elections from Koraput (ST) Constituency since 1972, Gomango came close to becoming the Chief Minister in 1995, when he was virtually projected as the party's choice for the post during the campaign for Assembly polls. But he was edged out by a more experienced J B Patnaik.
