Saturday, March 12 2005 17:55 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Ranchi: Arjun Munda, who was today (Mar 12, 2005) sworn-in as the fourth Chief Minister of Jharkhand, was involved in the struggle for a separate Jharkhand State besides championing the cause of the tribals, dalits and the backward classes.

A graduate in social science, Munda is a strong believer in the values of democracy and human dignity. Born on January 5, 1968, to middle class parents at Ghorabandha in Jamshedpur.

Munda, whose father was spiritually inclined and mother deeply involved in social work, entered active politics in the 1980s. He joined the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM).

He was elected to Legislative Assembly from Kharswan thrice - first on a JMM ticket in 1995. He later joined BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) and won the seat in the 2000 polls. He retained it this time as well.

He had served as the Minister of social welfare in the Babulal Marandi Cabinet, the first since the State came into being. He assumed the hot seat after Marandi, who was forced to resign after a revolt by a section of the JDU (Janata Dal United) MLAs in March 2003, to become the second Chief Minister of the fledgling State.

His second term in office follows the brief stint of barely ten days by JMM chief Shibu Soren, who resigned yesterday after high drama as he failed to prove his majority in the Assembly as directed by the Supreme Court.

During his political career, Munda became associated with a number of philanthropic and humanitarian organisations like the Blood Donors Association in Jamshedpur, the Integrated Rural Development Centre in Jamshedpur, the All-Jharkhand Association for the Speech and Hearing-impaired, the All-Jharkhand Yoga Association, The Shaheed Smarak Samiti and Binapani High School.

A father of two sons, Munda is an avid fan of all kinds of sports and takes a keen interest in literature dealing with social development.