Bhubaneswar: Mohan Charan Majhi, a four-time MLA and tribal leader, was sworn in as Odisha's first BJP chief minister on Wednesday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with several Union ministers and chief ministers, attended the ceremony, which took place at Janata Maidan. KV Singh Deo, a senior BJP leader and MLA from Patnagarh, along with newcomer Pravati Parida from the Nimapara assembly segment, took oath as deputy chief ministers as well.
Governor Rabghubar Das administered the oath of secrecy and office to Majhi and other council members of his ministers.
Apart from Modi, BJP chief JP Nadda, Union Ministers Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Bhupender Yadav, Dharmendra Pradhan, Jual Oram, Ashwini Vaishnaw and others attended the ceremony. Shri Suresh Pujari, Rabinarayan Naik, Nityananda Gond, Krushna Chandra Patra, Prithiviraj Harichandan, Mukesh Mahaling, Bibhuti Bhusan Jena and Krushna Chandra Mohapatra took oath as Cabinet ministers.
Ganesh Ram Singh Khuntia, Suryabanshi Suraj, Pradeep Balasananta, Gokula Nanda Mallick and Sampad Kumar Swain were sworn in as ministers of state (independent). Several chief ministers of BJP-ruled states including Uttar Pradesh, Goa, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Assam, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh and Uttarakhand were also present. Odisha's outgoing chief minister Naveen Patnaik also attended the ceremony.
BJP for the first time got a clear mandate in Odisha, ending the 24-year stint of the BJD. The saffron party stormed to power in Odisha by securing 78 seats in the 147-member Assembly while Patnaik-led BJD got 51 seats, Congress (14), CPI(M) won in one seat while Independents got three.
(With PTI Inputs)
