Mohan Charan Majhi, BJP's tribal leader who was named the 15th chief minister of Odisha, kicked off his political career as a village sarpanch nearly three decades ago.
Hailing from Raikala village in the tribal-dominated and mineral-rich Keonjhar district, Majhi (52), the son of a watchman, has been elected to the Odisha assembly on four occasions 2000, 2004, 2019 and 2024.
Majhi, a graduate, was the village head from 1997-2000. He was also the secretary of the BJP's Adivasi Morcha before being elected as an MLA from Keonjhar in 2000.
In the 2024 assembly elections, he retained the Keonjhar seat by defeating BJD's Mina Majhi. He was the opposition chief whip in the previous Odisha assembly, countering the BJD government on several key issues.
In his first reaction after he was named the CM, Majhi said: Due to the blessings of Lord Jagannath, the BJP achieved majority in Odisha and is going to form the government in the state. I would like to thank the 4.5 crore Odias who voted for change.
Majhi also asserted that the BJP will honour the trust of the people of Odisha.
Scripting a historic win, the saffron party had stormed to power in the state, bagging 78 out of the 147 assembly seats.
The chief minister's swearing-in ceremony will be held at the Janata Maidan here on Wednesday.