Who Will Be The Next Odisha Chief Minister? BJP Likely To Reveal The Name Today

Who will be the next Chief Minister of Odisha? This is the one question that is lingering in the mind of people of Odisha.

Well, the people might get an answer today as the BJP is likely to reveal the name on Friday. The saffron party will pick the name during its Parliamentary Party meeting in New Delhi, PTI reported citing sources from the party.

The Parliamentary Party is expected to seek the input of MPs in the process of selecting Odisha's new chief minister. Additionally, a senior leader noted that the BJP leadership might opt for an unexpected choice, similar to what occurred in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Chhattisgarh, where CMs were announced whose names had not been anticipated by political experts.

Who are in the race?

Although Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, representing the Sambalpur Lok Sabha constituency, is a prominent contender for the chief minister's post, other potential candidates include senior MLAs Suresh Pujari, Jayanarayan Mishra, and K V Singh Deo.

A senior BJP leader told the news agency on Thursday that while three of the 78 MLAs were previously ministers in the state, it is not a requirement for the Chief Minister to be selected solely from among the newly elected assembly members.

"The Parliamentary Party is the highest decision-making body of the BJP and it will meet in New Delhi tomorrow," Bhubaneswar MP Aparajita Sarangi said.

During an election rally, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the party's Chief Ministerial candidate will be a 'Bhoomiputra' and will be sworn in on June 10. Plans are underway to conduct the oath-taking ceremony of the new government at Janata Maidan, a vast park in Bhubaneswar. Governor Raghubar Das will administer the oath of office to the new Chief Minister. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah are expected to attend the event.

The BJP secured victory over the BJD, which had been in power in the state for 24 consecutive years, by winning 78 out of the 147 seats in the Odisha Assembly.