Bhubaneswar: Ahead of the swearing-in ceremony of the first BJP government in Odisha, Naveen Patnaik, on Wednesday changed his social media profile from chief minister of Odisha to BJD president.
The BJP pulled off a surprise in the just concluded elections in Odisha, securing a majority in the Odisha Assembly by winning 78 of 147 seats, bringing the curtains down on Naveen’s 24-year stint as the CM of the state.
This election, Naveen suffered his first electoral defeat as he lost to BJP’s Laxman Bag in Kantabanji. He had won every election contested since 1998. The BJD was also reduced to 58 seats in the Assembly from 112 in 2019.
Meanwhile, Odisha CM-designate Mohan Charan Majhi paid a courtesy visit to Naveen at his residence here on Wednesday. “I met the outgoing CM and invited him for the swearing-in ceremony of the first BJP government in Odisha. He assured me that he will attend the event,” Majhi told the media.
He added that the double-engine BJP government will ensure all-round development and work towards addressing the grievances of the people of Odisha.
A BJP delegation led by state unit president Manmohan Samal had also visited Naveen the previous day to invite him to the oath-taking ceremony.
Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan had also hailed him as a statesman when the latter congratulated the three MPs from Odisha on being sworn-in as Cabinet ministers.
Also Read: Encouragement From Statesman, Says Dharmendra As Naveen Congratulates 3 Odisha MPs In Modi Cabinet
