Odisha CM Patnaik restructures BJD, appoints senior leaders as party observers

Five ministers who resigned on Saturday were appointed as party observers for different districts in Odisha.

BJD president and Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik, before reshuffling his three-year-old ministry, has restructured the party by appointing nine senior leaders as observers for 11 different districts.

Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik addressing the media after Panchayat representative review meeting at party office in Bhubaneswar on May 6. (PTI Photo)

The five ministers who resigned on Saturday were appointed as party observers for different districts last night, a release issued by the BJD said.

Sanjay Dasburma, who resigned from the ministry on Saturday, was made a general secretary (youth affairs)and put in charge of two tribal dominated districts like Nabarangpur and Rayagada.

Similarly, Arun Sahoo was made a general secretary (students affair). He was made the observer of tribal dominated Mayurbhanj district.

Patnaik’s close confidant Pranab Prakash Das was made a general secretary and put in charge of tribal dominated Malkangiri and Koraput districts.

Pradeep Panigrahi, a general secretary, has been put in charge of Gajapati district.

Debi Prasad Mishra was elevated to the post of vice president from the rank of a general secretary. He was also appointed as the observer for Sambalpur district, considered as a strong hold of BJP.

In addition, MLA Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak, a general secretary, was appointed as the observer for Balasore district.

MLA Prafulla Samal was appointed as the observer for Jagatsinghpur district.

The BJD spokesman and vice president S N Patro was appointed as the observer for Bolangir district, another strong hold of opposition BJP.

“I am grateful to those ministers who have resigned voluntarily to work for the party,” Patnaik told reporters here.