Swearing-in of new BJP govt in Odisha to be held on June 10: Party officials

The BJP won 78 seats in the Odisha Assembly elections, while two rebels of the party who contested as independents and won have decided to join the party

Published on: Jun 6, 2024, 20:35:58 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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Bhubaneshwar: The swearing-in ceremony of the first-ever Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Odisha will be held on June 10 in Bhubaneswar’s Janata Maidan, senior leaders of the party said on Thursday.

Odisha BJP president Manmohan Samal with party leaders release the party’s manifesto (ANI Photo)

BJP leader and spokesperson Sajjan Sharma said the swearing-in ceremony will be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union home minister Amit Shah, along with chief ministers of several National Democratic Alliance (NDA)-ruled states who campaigned for the party in the election.

During campaigning, PM Modi and other BJP leaders had announced that if BJP formed the government in the state, it would be sworn in on June 10.

Also Read: Laxman Bag: Odisha’s giant killer who defeated Naveen Patnaik

The BJP won 78 seats in the Odisha Assembly elections, while two rebels of the party who contested as independents and won have decided to join the party, raising the strength to 80 in the 147-member Odisha Assembly.

The BJP won a little over 40 per cent of the total votes, a rise of nearly eight per cent from what it had secured in 2019.

The BJP leaders said the central leadership would send its top leaders to Odisha in the next two to three days to speak to the MLAs to decide the next chief minister.

Several names that are being considered for the CM’s post include former Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan, party’s national vice-president Baijayant Panda, senior leader Suresh Pujari, Puri MP Sambit Patra, former union tribal affairs minister Jual Oram and former chief whip Mohan Majhi.

Pradhan won from Odisha’s Sambalpur seat, where he was contesting against Biju Janata Dal’s (BJD) organisational secretary Pranab Prakash Das. He received 5,92,162 votes, winning with a margin of 1,19,836 votes.

Also Read: After 24 years, Patnaik set for a new stint in Opposition benches

According to party officials, the state government has decided to employ 50 senior officers, including nine IAS, one Odisha Finance Service (OFS) and 40 other senior Odisha Administrative Service (OAS) officers, to supervise the swearing-in ceremony of the new ministry.

Party officials said that in the first cabinet meeting of the BJP government, the opening of all four doors of Jagannath temple in Puri, the tabling of the Raghubir Das judicial commission of inquiry report into the disappearance of keys of Ratna Bhandar, the announcement of minimum support price Rs.3,100 per quintal for purchase of paddy is likely to be announced. BJP had made these promises in its manifesto.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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