Bhubaneswar: Four-term MLA from Keonjhar constituency from the BJP, Mohan Charan Majhi is all set to become the new Chief Minister of Odisha. 

Deputy Chief Ministers to Majhi

Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo and Pravati Parida will be the Deputy Chif MInisters to Majhi. The names were finalised at the BJP Legislature Party Meeting that was attended by Union Ministers Rajnath Singh and Bhupender Yadav. Mohan Charan Majhi, 52, defeated Mina Majhi of the BJD by 11,577 votes from the Keonjhar assembly constituency. The chief whip of the BJP in the previous assembly, he was elected to the assembly for the fourth time.

KV Singh Deo defeated Saroj Kumar Meher of the BJD by 1357 votes from Patnagarh, while Parida beat BJD leader Dilip Kumar Nayak by 4588 votes from Nimapara.

BJP Invites Naveen Patnaik for Swearing-In Ceremony on June 12

The BJP, all set to form its maiden government in Odisha, on Tuesday invited BJD President and outgoing Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for the swearing-in ceremony scheduled on June 12.

The first invitation card for the ceremony was, however, given to Lord Jagannath in Puri, and it was delivered at the 12th-century shrine by some newly elected MLAs.

A five-member delegation led by the BJP Odisha unit president Manmohan Samal, went to Naveen Niwas, the residence of Patnaik, and formally invited him to attend the swearing-in ceremony to be held at 5 pm on Wednesday.

Senior leaders such as Suresh Pujari, Basanta Panda, Samir Mohanty and Nityananda Gond accompanied Samal.

"Naveen Babu has accepted the invitation and assured us that he would attend the ceremony," Samal told reporters.

Meanwhile, a group of MLA elects comprising Pravati Parida, Prithviraj Harichandan, Irashish Acharya and Ashrit Patnaik went to the Jagannath temple in Puri with one card, two coconuts, betel nuts and rice placed on a thali to invite the Lord for the ceremony.

"It is our Odia tradition to invite Lord Jagannath on all auspicious occasions. Therefore, we have come to invite the Lord. The party seeks his blessings," Parida said.

The BJP state president said that the party would also invite the president of the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) and other political parties to the swearing-in ceremony.

This apart, Samal said all the people who have earned name and fame for the state will also be invited.

Preparations in Full Swing

Preparations are in the final stage at the Janata Maidan park, the venue for the oath-taking ceremony. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, central ministers and chief ministers of many BJP-ruled states are likely to attend it.

Union ministers Rajnath Singh and Bhupender Yadav have already reached Bhubaneswar to attend the BJP legislature party meeting as observers to elect the next chief minister, paving the way for the formation of the first-ever government of the saffron party in the state. 

Half-Day Holiday in Bhubaneswar For Swearing-In of New Govt

The Odisha government on Monday announced that all state government offices and courts in Bhubaneswar will close after 1 pm on June 12 due to the swearing-in ceremony of the new chief minister and council of ministers.

According to a notification issued by the Revenue and disaster management department, the order will apply to all state government offices and revenue and magisterial courts (executive) within the jurisdiction of the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC).

The new BJP government will be sworn in on June 12 at 5 pm. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to arrive here at 2:30 pm and proceed to Raj Bhavan from the airport. He will later attend the oath-taking ceremony at Janata Maidan at 5 pm.

The state unit of the BJP has urged people to observe June 12 like Diwali by lighting at least two diyas (lamps) - one for the central government and another for the state government.

Balasore MP Pratap Sarangi highlighted that the two diyas symbolise the "double engine sarkar" (dual government) in the state. Out of the 147 seats, the BJP secured 78 seats in the recent Lok Sabha Elections. 

 (with PTI inputs)