Itanagar/IBNS: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Pema Khandu took oath as the Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister for the third consecutive term on Thursday.

Khandu took oath more than a week after the BJP swept the Arunachal Pradesh assembly elections.

The party won 46 of 60 assembly seats. 10 seats were elected unopposed by the party before the elections, which were held simultaneously with the Lok Sabha polls.

Along with Khandu, BJP's Chowna Mein took oath as the Deputy Chief Minister for the second consecutive term.

Apart from Khandu and Mein, 10 other ministers also took oath on Thursday.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP national president Jagat Prakash Nadda, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma were among the party leaders who attended the swearing-in ceremony.

In 2016, Khandu, who was then also the Chief Minister, defected along with 43 MLAs to BJP's ally People's Party of Arunachal (PPA).

After the PPA expelled Khandu and some other MLAs in 2019, he joined the BJP and proved the majority in the assembly.

In the same year's assembly elections, Khandu-led BJP registered a landslide victory bagging 41 seats.