Suspense Continues Over New Odisha CM: Wait For 2 More Days, Says State BJP President

Bhubaneswar: Four days after winning the Assembly elections in Odisha, the BJP continued to keep the name of new chief minister in suspense as party’s state president Manmohan Samal on Saturday told the media to wait for two more days.

Speaking to media persons in Bhubaneswar airport on his arrival from New Delhi, Samal said the parliamentary board of BJP would take a decision on the chief minister at its meeting.

On his visit to Delhi, he said, “I had gone to attend the election of NDA’s parliamentary party leader and Lok  Sabha leader. All newly elected MPs from the state were also present in the function. We also attended other party programmes arranged in Delhi.”

Samal said Prime Minister Narendra Modi, new Union Cabinet Ministers, chief ministers of most of the states and other dignitaries will attend the oath taking ceremony of the BJP ministry in Bhubaneswar on June 10. “As state president of the party, I am coordinating with all stakeholders in making arrangements for the meeting,” he added.

He further said the date of BJP’s parliamentary party meeting had not been decided nor he was informed about it. On persistent queries, he said, “Wait for two more days and you will be informed about the party decision on new chief minister of the state. There are highly experienced leaders of the party at the Centre and they will take the decision keeping the interest of the state in the mind.”

On being asked whether he was considered for the post, he said he was not in the race nor aspired for it. “I am executing whatever responsibility is assigned to me,” he added.

It may be noted that the BJP won comfortable majority in 147-member Assembly by bagging 78 seats in the elections that concluded recently. The saffron party had gone to the elections under the leadership of Narendra Modi without projecting a chief minister candidate.

During his election campaign in the state, Modi had said the party will pick the CM candidate, who will be a ‘Bhoomiputra’, on June 6 and he or she would be sworn in as the CM in Bhubaneswar on June 10.