Naveen Patnaik takes oath as Odisha CM for the fifth time

Naveen Patnaik is one of the longest-serving chief ministers in the country.

Image Courtesy: Twitter/@ANI

Bhubaneswar: Biju Janata Dal (BJD) chief Naveen Patnaik took oath as the Chief Minister of Odisha for the fifth time on Wednesday. The swearing-in ceremony was held at the Exhibition Ground in Bhubaneswar. 

#Visuals Naveen Patnaik takes oath as the Chief Minister of Odisha for a fifth time pic.twitter.com/o82Qkx1xn6

— ANI (@ANI) May 29, 2019

Many other BJD leaders who have been allotted portfolios in the ministry also took oath along with Patnaik.

Bhubaneswar: Ranendra Pratap Swain(pic 1) and Arun Kumar Sahu take oath as ministers in Odisha Government pic.twitter.com/66LC2m99a0 — ANI (@ANI) May 29, 2019

Gita Mehta, Patnaik's sister was also present at the swearing-in ceremony. She is a prominent writer.

Bhubaneswar: Gita Mehta, prominent Indian writer and sister of Naveen Patnaik also present at the swearing in ceremony of Naveen Patnaik. pic.twitter.com/tk0dx7uBit — ANI (@ANI) May 29, 2019

Patnaik was invited by Odisha Governor Ganeshi Lal on Sunday to form the next government in the state. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was also by Patnaik for the swearing-in ceremony, sent out his best wishes to the chief minister and "assured complete cooperation from the Centre in working for Odisha’s progress."

Congratulations to Shri Naveen Patnaik Ji on taking oath as Odisha’s Chief Minister. Best wishes to him and his team in fulfilling the people’s aspirations. I assure complete cooperation from the Centre in working for Odisha’s progress. @Naveen_Odisha — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 29, 2019

72-year-old Patnaik is one of the longest-serving chief ministers in the country. BJD has been in power in the state since 2000. 

A day before taking oath as chief minister for a fifth consecutive term, Patnaik on Tuesday visited Shree Jagannath temple in Puri and sought blessings. "I prayed to Lord Jagannath for the people of Odisha before I take oath as chief minister tomorrow in Bhubaneswar," he told reporters outside the temple.

The party secured 112 seats in the 147-member Odisha Assembly in the recently-concluded elections, held along with Lok Sabha polls. The BJP bagged 23 and the Congress nine assembly seats in the state. Independent and CPI(M) secured one seat each.