Mohan Majhi to be BJP's first chief minister in Odisha | 5 things to know about CM-elect

Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo and Pravati Parida will be deputy chief ministers, the party said.

BJP leader Mohan Charan Majhi will be Odisha's new chief minister, the party announced on Tuesday, adding that Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo and Pravati Parida will be his two deputies.

Odisha CM-elect and BJP leader Mohan Majhi (File Photo)

The swearing-in ceremony will be held on Wednesday. In the recently-held assembly poll, the BJP defeated BJD, which had held power in the coastal state since 2000, with Naveen Patnaik failing to secure what would have been his sixth consecutive term in office.

(1.) The politician, 53, is a tribal leader. He was first elected to the legislative assembly in 2000.

(2.) Majhi, who is a former sarpanch (village head), is a four-term and sitting legislator from the Keonjhar assembly seat. He won the assembly elections of 2000, 2004, 2019, and 2024.

(3.) When sworn-in, he will become the 15th chief minister of Odisha. He is known for his public service and organisational skills.

(4.) Previously, the BJP leader served as the deputy chief whip in the BJD-BJP coalition government; the two parties were in alliance here from 2005 to 2009.

(5.) In the 2024 Odisha assembly election, Mohan Chand Majhi defeated BJD's Meena Majhi by a margin of 11,577 votes. They secured 87,815 and 76,238 votes respectively, according to the Election Commission.

Odisha assembly election 2024

The BJP won 78 seats in the 147-member assembly, while the BJD was reduced to 51 seats. The Congress, which came a distant third, was victorious only in 14 constituencies.

In the Lok Sabha elections, held here simultaneously, the saffron party won 20 of the total 21 parliamentary segments, while a lone seat went to the Congress.