An End to 24-Yr Rule, Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik Tenders Resignation After BJP Wins

A day after BJD suffered setback in the state assembly elections, Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik resigned today, ending his 24-year rule.

Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister and Biju Janta Dal (BJD) supremo Naveen Patnaik tendered his resignation to Governor Raghubar Das at Raj Bhawan in Bhubaneswar on Wednesday morning after suffering defeat in the state assembly polls, the results of which were declared on June 5.

BJD has been in power in Odisha since 1997 and Patnaik was appointed as the CM on March 5, 2000. This time, the party managed to bag only 51 seats in the 147-seat state assembly while the BJP went ahead by securing 78 seats.

Also, BJD had failed to win even a single seat in the Lok Sabha elections as BJP bagged 20 out of 21 constituencies while one seat was won by Congress.

Several heavyweight leaders including CM and nine ministers of his cabinet faced defeats in the Assembly and Lok Sabha polls. Patnaik was defeated from Kantabanji by BJP's Laman Bag by a margin of 16,344 votes.

Taking to his X handle, Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote on Tuesday, "Thank you Odisha! This is a historic victory for good governance and innovative culture of Odisha. BJP will make all efforts to fulfill the dreams of the people of Odisha and take the state to new heights of progress. I am proud of all our party workers who have worked hard."

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