Veteran Tribal leader Mohan Charan Majhi will be the first Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Chief Minister of Odisha as the 24-year-old tenure of Biju Janata Dal (BJD) led Naveen Patnaik ended following a massive defeat in the state assembly elections. A four-time MLA Mohan Majhi won the Keounjhar seat with a margin of around 87,815 votes.
The 52-year-old Majhi is an experienced politician and his public service and organisational skills worked in his favour in the race for the top post.
This is the first time that the saffron party will form the government in Odisha after breaking of alliance which was held with BJD in 200 and 2004. Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo and Prabhati Parida will be the Deputy Chief ministers.
Deo, a six-time MLA and an erstwhile royal from Patna (Princely state), Bolangir was a minister in the Naveen Patnaik government for nine years till 2009 when BJP and BJD were in alliance.
Prabhaati Parida is a first time MLA from Nimapara in Puri district.
Union Ministers Dharamendra Pradhan, Juel Oram and Ashwini Vaishnaw attended the meeting held at BJP headquarters.
The names were selected at the BJP legislature party meeting, which was attended by Union Minister Rajnath Singh and Bhupender Yadav as observers. BJP achieved a comfortable majority in the 147-member assembly by securing 78 seats. The two rebels candidates of BJP fought independent joined the party taking the strength to 80.
The swearing-in-ceremony for the first BJP government has been scheduled for June 12 evening. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah will attend the ceremony at the open pendal of Janata Maidan here. BHP has also invited the outgoing CM Naveen Patnaik for the swearing -in-ceremony.
The first invitation card for the ceremony was presented to Lord Jagannath in Puri. The state government has declared close of all offices after 1 PM due to swearing in ceremony of the CM and council of Ministers.
