Bhubaneswar (Odisha): Four-time MLA and tribal leader Mohan Charan Majhi was on Wednesday sworn in as the first BJP chief minister of Odisha at a ceremony here attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, several Union ministers and chief ministers.
Senior BJP leader and Patnagarh MLA KV Singh Deo and debutant from Nimapara assembly segment Pravati Parida took oath as deputy chief ministers. Odisha Governor Rabghubar Das administered the oath of secrecy and office to Majhi and other members of his council of ministers at Janata Maidan.
This is the first time that a BJP government has been formed in the eastern state. 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.
