Mumbai, Feb 18 : Senior BJP leader and former Governor of Jharkhand Ramesh Bais was sworn-in as the 20th Governor of Maharashtra here on Saturday afternoon. Bombay High Court Acting Chief Justice S.V. Gangapurwala administered the oath of office to Bais at a brief function held in the Raj Bhavan. In what is described as a special goodwill gesture, Bais took the oath in Marathi language, and was later felicitated with bouquets by Acting Chief Justice Gangapurwala and Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. Besides Shinde, his cabinet colleagues, Speaker Rahul Narwekar, prominent dignitaries, top officials and other select invitees were also present on the occasion. Bais, 75, was transferred from Jharkhand to Maharashtra last Sunday after the former Governor here Bhagat Singh Koshyari resigned to opt for retirement. /IANS