BJP's Tribal Face Mohan Manjhi Takes Oath As Odisha CM, PM Modi Attends Event

Mohan Charan Majhi, a four-time MLA and tribal leader, was sworn in as Odisha's first BJP chief minister on Wednesday, in a ceremony attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, several Union ministers, and chief ministers. KV Singh Deo, a senior BJP leader and Patnagarh MLA, and Pravati Parida, a debutant from the Nimapara assembly segment, took oath as deputy chief ministers. Governor Rabghubar Das administered the oath of office and secrecy to them at Bhubaneswar's Janata Maidan. The eastern state has never had a BJP government before.

Aside from Modi, BJP chief JP Nadda, Union Ministers Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Bhupender Yadav, Dharmendra Pradhan, Jual Oram, Ashwini Vaishnaw, and others attended the ceremony.

Several chief ministers from BJP-ruled states, including Uttar Pradesh, Goa, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Assam, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, and Uttarakhand, also attended. The ceremony was also attended by Odisha's outgoing Chief Minister, Naveen Patnaik.

For the first time in Odisha, the BJP received a clear mandate, ending the BJD's 24-year reign. The saffron party swept to power in Odisha, winning 78 seats in the 147-member Assembly, while the Patnaik-led BJD received 51, Congress (14), CPI(M) won one, and Independents received three.