Odisha: Who is Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo, the erstwhile royalty named deputy CM?

BJP MLA Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo will be one of the two deputy chief ministers under Mohan Charan Majhi, the next Odisha CM.

Updated on: Jun 11, 2024, 19:23:52 IST

By HT News Desk

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BJP MLA Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo will be one of the two deputies to BJP's tribal leader Mohan Charan Majhi, who is set to become the next Odisha chief minister. The other deputy CM will be Pravati Parida. The decisions were taken at the BJP legislature party meeting attended by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Union minister Bhupender Yadav as observers.

Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo receiving the certificate from Returning Officer after winning from Patnagarh assembly constituency.(X /@KVSinghDeo1)

“Mohan Majhi has been elected by the legislature party unanimously,” Singh told reporters on Tuesday.

Who is Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo?

Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo, who defeated BJD candidate Saroj Kumar Meher by a slender margin of 1,357 votes, comes from the erstwhile royal family of Patnagarh, a former princely state in Odisha's Balangir district. KV Singh Deo won from Patnagarh five consecutive times before being defeated by Biju Janata Dal's (BJD) Saroj Kumar Meher in 2019. KV Singh Deo also served as the minister in the Naveen Patnaik-led BJD-BJP coalition government between 2000 and 2009.

According to myneta.info, Singh Deo has studied till B.A. Part-1 from Delhi University. He has two criminal cases against him – one under sections 188 and 34 and the other under sections 143, 269, 270, 336, and 353 of the Indian Penal Code. Singh Deo has assets worth around ₹67 crore and liabilities worth ₹75 lakh, according to myneta.info.

After the announcement, BJP MP Pradeep Purohit hailed the decision pointing to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's “formula” that “someone born in Odisha, someone who has the knowledge of the language, culture, someone who has a vision of the development of Odisha will be the chief minister.”

“That has been fulfilled today. People blessed the BJP and it formed the government in the state. Mohan Majhi, a tribal face, was unanimously elected as the CM. Two Deputy CMs - Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo and Pravati Parida were also announced...We want to make Odisha the number 1 state," he added.

The new government will take oath at Janata Maidan in Bhubaneswar on Wednesday.

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