With two front runners for the Odisha Chief Minister post, Jual Oram and Dharmendra Pradhan, swearing in as Union Ministers, the focus is back on the race for the top post. The saffron party, which assumes power in the Eastern state for the first time, has already appointed senior party leaders Rajnath Singh and Bhupender Yadav as its central observers to oversee the election of the chief minister.
According to the party statement, its parliamentary board picked Singh and Yadav, who were actively involved in the state assembly polls, for overseeing the meeting.
The MLAs are meeting on Monday and the decision is likely to come soon. The BJP spokesperson too hinted the same as he stated the oath-taking ceremony is likely to happen on Wednesday. "The oath-taking ceremony of the new Chief Minister and the newly elected BJP government in Odisha will now be held on June 12. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be present for the ceremony," BJP spokesperson Dillip Mohanty told reporters.
He added that the ceremony will take place "among the people." "It is historic that the oath-taking ceremony will happen for the first time amongst the people of Odisha. It used to happen inside the governor's house previously. This is happening after decades. We are hoping that everyone in Odisha will take part in the ceremony," Mohanty said, adding that the Prime Minister will meet and greet everyone.
Though BJP has included Dharmendra Pradhan and Jual Oram, who represent the state in the Cabinet, the state leadership reportedly feels that the state deserves more representation, considering the stellar performance of the party in the just-concluded general elections.
"We were expecting five or six MPs from the state will get representation in the union cabinet as the Prime Minister had inducted three ministers from the state in his second term when only eight BJP MPs were elected. It has come as a big letdown," a party leader told The New Indian Express on conditions of anonymity.
The BJP won 78 Assembly seats while BJD secured 51, Congress 14, three independent nominees emerged victorious and CPI (M) won one seat in the 2024 Assembly polls.
