New Delhi/Bhubaneswar: The BJP parliamentary party meeting in New Delhi is likely to choose chief minister of its maiden government in Odisha on Friday.
The BJP trounced the BJD winning 78 seats in the 147-member Odisha Assembly, bringing an end to its 24-year rule in the state.
Although three of the newly-elected BJP members have previously served as ministers in the state, the new chief minister may not necessarily be selected from among them. Among the potential candidates are senior leaders like Suresh Pujari, KV Singhdeo and Jaynarayan Mishra, who have won the recently-concluded Assembly selections.
Dharmendra Pradhan, who has been elected from Sambalpur Lok Sabha seat, is also one of the front-runners for the chief minister’s job. As an OBC leader, he also aligns with the caste dynamics in a state where more than 50% of the population belongs to this community.
The name of Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) Girish Murmu, who hails from Betnoti in Mayurbhanj, is also doing the rounds.
Despite losing the elections from Chandbali, state BJP chief Manmohan Samal, credited for the historic upset in Odisha with his firm stance against a possible alliance with BJD, is also a contender.
Narendra Modi had earlier declared that the new CM would be a ‘Bhoomiputra’ and would be sworn in on June 10 in Bhubaneswar.
All the 20 BJP MPs from Odisha have reached Delhi, and so also state BJP president Manmohan Samal and leader of Opposition in the outgoing Assembly Jayanarayan Mishra to attend the meeting.
Party sources said that since Narendra Modi will take oath as prime minister on the evening of June 9, the name of the chief minister may be announced either on Sunday or Monday.
Meanwhile, preparations have begun in full swing for the swearing-in ceremony of the first saffron party government in the state at Janata Maidan. Prime minister, Amit Shah and BJP national president J P Nadda along with chief ministers of the BJP and NDA ruled state are likely to attend the event.
As an alternative, the Raj Bhawan is being considered in view of the monsoon season, the sources added.
