Bhubaneswar: Ending all speculations over possible reshuffle in the three-year-old BJD ministry, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday ruled out any such move in this direction.
"There is no such thought," Patnaik, also the BJD chief told reporters replying a question on the possible ministry reshuffle after end of the hostage crisis.
Speculations had cropped up due to two vacancies in the council of ministers after resignation of Agriculture minister Pradip Kumar Maharathy in wake of Pipili rape case and that of Excise and Planning and Coordination minister A U Singhdeo after hooch tragedy in Cuttack and Khurda district.
While senior MLAs of the ruling BJD were lobbying to get a berth in the next reshuffle, the chief minister had made it clear that there was no such move now.
Patnaik had last reshuffled his ministry in May 2011 when five new ministers were inducted and three others including the then Agriculture minister Damodar Rout were dropped.
Rout and other senior MLAs, party sources said, were desperately trying to re-enter the council of ministers if there was any move for the expansion.
PTI
