Mohan Charan Majhi, elected from the Keonjhar seat reserved for ST, will take oath at the swearing-in ceremony on June 12 that will also be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Mohan Charan Majhi will be Odisha’s new chief minister, as decided during the BJP legislature party meeting on Tuesday. The saffron party’s first leader for the state’s top job, he will take oath at the swearing-in ceremony on June 12 that will also be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
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Majhi, 52, will also get two deputies — first-time MLA Prabhati Parida and six-time legislator KV Singh Deo. He was elected to the state legislative assembly from the Keonjhar seat reserved for STs, and is a strong tribal face.
His name came up after Union ministers Rajnath Singh and Bhupendra Yadav, who were the observes at the BJP legislature party meeting, discussed with all senior leaders and the newly elected MPs and MLAs. After the announcement, Singh congratulated Majhi and called him a “young and dynamic karyakarta“.
“Delighted to announce that Shri Mohan Charan Manjhi has been elected unanimously as the leader of Odisha BJP Legislature Party. He is a young and dynamic party karyakarta who will take the state forward on road to progress and prosperity as the new Chief Minister of Odisha. Many congratulations to him,” he said in a post on X.
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He added: “Also, it has been decided that two Deputy Chief Ministers will be designated to head the new State Government. Shri KV Singh Deo and Smt. Pravati Parida will serve the state as Deputy Chief Minister. Congratulations to them!”
The meeting to select Majhi was held a week after the announcement of the assembly poll results. The BJP got a majority in the 147-member House by winning 78 seats.
Majhi will lead Odisha after the 24-year rule of the BJD’s Naveen Patnaik. A number of names were in the running for the CM’s post after Sambalpur MP Dharmendra Pradhan became a minister in the third Narendra Modi-led Union Cabinet. But, as usual, the BJP leadership threw a surprise at the last minute.
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Top contenders were Suresh Pujari, who was elected from the Brajarajnagar assembly seat; Manmohan Samal, who is the state BJP president; and CAG of India Girish Murmu, who also served as the lieutenant governor of Jammu and Kashmir and Modi’s former principal secretary when he was the Gujarat CM.
However, several party leaders had also anticipated a surprise as the party made similar announcements in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. “Everything is possible in Odisha as the BJP is a worker-driven party,” said a senior party leader.
Party sources said Majhi will first visit the Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri before taking oath on Wednesday. Modi is expected to arrive in Bhubaneswar at 2.30 pm on June 12 and proceed to Raj Bhavan from the airport, they said.
Tight security arrangements have been made in the proposed venue for the swearing-in ceremony. Several dignitaries, including union ministers and chief ministers of BJP-ruled states, are expected to attend the oath-taking ceremony of the new Odisha CM and other ministers.
(With PTI inputs)
