In Odisha, the race for the first BJP chief minister is heating up with at least half-a-dozen names doing the rounds. The state leaders of the party including all 20 newly elected MPs are camping in Delhi and likely to meet the Central leaders on Friday (7th June 2024) on the issue.
The Central BJP leadership will take opinions of the MPs and other leaders before taking a final call on the name of the new chief minister of Odisha in the parliamentary board meeting. The name is likely to be decided before Sunday as the Prime Minister and senior BJP leader Narendra Modi had announced the swearing in ceremony of the new BJP chief minister on 10th of this month during his election campaign.
Amid speculations over who would be the first BJP chief minister of Odisha, the party’s parliamentary board is likely to take a call on this in two to three days. Prime Minister and senior BJP leader Narendra Modi during a number of election rallies in Odisha had said that the new BJP chief minister would take oath on 10th of June at Bhubaneswar.
Meanwhile, many names are doing the rounds on the next chief minister of Odisha. The front runners include six-time MP and former Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and senior MLA Mohan Charan Majhi.
The name of former Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir and former Comptroller and Audit General of India Girish Chandra Murmu is also considered as a front runner for the coveted post. The BJP parliamentary board is also likely to give a green signal to a surprise name as the next chief minister of the state.
The BJP emerged victorious in the Odisha assembly elections for the first time, securing 78 seats out of 147, surpassing the Biju Janata Dal’s 51 seats.
(With inputs from agencies)
