By Gokul Parajuli, Biratnagar, Nov. 2: Newly appointed Chief Minister of Province 1 Rajendra Kumar Rai has been administered the oath of office and secrecy.

Province 1 Chief Som Nath Adhikari Pyasi administered the oath of office and secrecy to Chief Minister Rai along with newly appointed ministers of the province amid a special ceremony held at the office of the Province Chief.

A leader of CPN (Unified Socialist), Rai had claimed for the post with support from 49 lawmakers of the provincial assembly.

CM Rai has formed a 6-member Cabinet, of which 2 are from Nepali Congress while one each from the other coalition partners.

The ministers of the province who took the oath of office and secrecy today include Himal Karki, deputy leader of the parliamentary party of the provincial assembly of Nepali Congress, as minister for physical infrastructure development, Indra Bahadur Aangbo, parliamentary party leader of the provincial assembly of the CPN (Maoist Center) as minister for financial affairs and planning, Kedar Karki, chief whip of Nepali Congress in the provincial assembly, as minister for internal affairs and law, Jay Ram Yadav, parliamentary party leader in the provincial assembly of the Janata Samajwadi Party, as minister for social development and Bishnu Maya Tumbahamphe, a leader of the joint democratic national front, as state minister for social development.

All the members of the newly formed Council of Ministers of the province are new except for Indra Bahadur Aangbo who was also a minister for financial affairs and planning in the previous provincial government.