BJP Leaders Rajnath Singh and Bhupendra Yadav to Oversee Selection of Odisha Chief Minister

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has announced the appointment of Union Ministers Rajnath Singh and Bhupendra Yadav to oversee the selection process of the new Chief Minister of Odisha. This decision comes following the BJP’s recent victory in the Odisha Assembly elections, where they secured a majority by winning 78 seats out of the 147-member assembly.

The legislature party meeting is scheduled for tomorrow, and the new government is set to take oath on June 12. The experienced leaders, Rajnath Singh and Bhupendra Yadav, will engage in discussions with the legislators to finalize the appointment.

Suresh Pujari, the MLA-elect from Brajarajnagar, is gaining attention as a potential candidate for the Chief Minister’s post. While the possibility of senior Odisha MP Dharmendra Pradhan assuming the role diminishes after his induction into the Modi 3.0 cabinet, focus shifts to Pujari along with other contenders like Manmohan Samal, KV Singh, and Mohan Majhi.

The BJP has expressed plans to organize a road show featuring Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the state capital before the swearing-in ceremony on June 12. In the Lok Sabha elections, the BJP also clinched 20 out of 21 seats in Odisha, with Laxman Bag defeating long-standing Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.

The BJP’s campaign in Odisha revolved around the promise of restoring ‘Odia Asmita’ (Odia pride) in the state. In contrast, the Congress managed to secure only the Cuttack seat in the Lok Sabha elections, with Sofia Firdous emerging victorious over BJP’s Purna Chandra Mahapatra.

VK Pandian, a key aide to Naveen Patnaik during the Lok Sabha elections, has announced his withdrawal from active politics following the BJD’s defeat in the polls, as reported by the Hindustan Times.