Bhubaneswar: Former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik was on Wednesday elected leader of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) legislature party as per expectation. With this, the BJD president is all set to perform as the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Odisha Assembly.
Naveen was unanimously elected the leader at the BJD legislature party meeting held under his chairmanship at Sankha Bhawan in Bhubaneswar.
Rairakhol MLA and former Minister Prasanna Acharya was chosen as deputy leader of the BJD legislature party.
Similarly, Pramila Mallik was chosen Chief Whip and Pratap Keshari Deb Deputy Chief Whip of the regional party at the meeting.
“We had a meeting of the MLAs of the BJD. I congratulated and thanked them. They have elected me as the Leader of the Opposition and leader of BJD legislature party,” Naveen said after being chosen leader.
“I have also announced the new post of Prasanna Acharya as the Deputy Leader of the BJD in the legislature, Pramila Mallik as the Chief Whip and Pratap Keshari Deb as the Deputy Chief Whip of the BJD,” he added.
This would be Naveen’s first time as LoP in his political career, which began in 1997 when he won the bypoll to Aska Lok Sabha seat after the demise of his father Biju Patnaik. He served as the CM of Odisha for five consecutive terms from 2000 until June 2024.
BJD will have to perform the role of opposition for the first time in the state as Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) formed government after winning 78 of the 147 Assembly seats. BJD managed to bag 51 Assembly seats, while Congress got 14 in the recently-held elections.
