Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath Monday took oath as MLA after getting elected from Chhindwara Assembly seat in a bypoll held along with the April-May Lok Sabha polls.

Nath, who took over as chief minister in December last year following the Congress' win in the Assembly elections, was at the time a Lok Sabha MP from Chhindwara.

Vidhan Sabha Speaker NP Prajapati administered the oath to Nath in the Assembly Hall. As per rules, Nath had to get elected to the MP Assembly within six months of being appointed chief minister.

He had defeated the BJP's Vivek Sahul by a margin of 25,800 votes in the Assembly bypoll, necessitated after Congress MLA Deepak Saxena quit the MP House to make way for the chief minister.

After taking oath as MLA, he said his government's first priority would be agriculture and the aim would be to make farmers self-sufficient and debt-free.

Employment for youth would be another focus area, he said. He accused the earlier BJP government for the water crisis in the state.

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Kolkata (PTI): Police stations in border districts of West Bengal intensified surveillance and searches as investigators suspect the involvement of professional shooters from neighbouring states in the killing of BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari's close aide, a senior officer said on Friday.

The police are also investigating the role of local criminals who might have provided logistical support to the assailants, he said.

More than 36 hours after Adhikari's personal assistant Chandranath Rath was assassinated by motorcycle-borne gunmen at Madhyamgram in North 24 Parganas district, the police are yet to make any arrest.

“A detailed investigation is underway. The manner in which the attack was carried out suggests extensive reconnaissance and the possible involvement of hired sharpshooters from outside the state,” a senior police officer told PTI.

He also said all police stations in border districts have been alerted.

"Checks are being carried out at multiple points, and CCTV footage from areas along Jessore Road is being thoroughly scanned,” another senior officer said.

According to probe findings, the gunmen allegedly followed Rath’s vehicle before launching the attack.

“The escape route of the gunmen indicates that they were familiar with the locality, or local criminals might have assisted them. Without local support, fleeing through the lanes so quickly would have been difficult,” the officer added.

The police, however, are yet to ascertain the motive behind the murder.

The police and detective department officers have launched extensive searches in and around Madhyamgram near Kolkata.

Heavy deployment of police and central forces has also been made in the area since the murder occurred on Wednesday night.

"A motorcycle used in the crime was registered in 2012 in the name of a resident of Burnpur in Asansol. However, the police found that no person by that name currently resides at the address given during the vehicle registration process," another officer said.