Naveen Patnaik becomes Odisha CM for 5th consecutive term

Bhubaneswar: After the successful completion of Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, the offices are to be occupied by elected government. Where Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to take oath on Thursday, to helm the nation for another 5-years, BJD’s Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday morning with 20 of his ministers took oath at a public function in Bhubaneswar.

Patnaik sworn-in as Chief Minister for the fifth time. So far only two: Jyoti Basu of West Bengal and Pawan Chamling of Sikkim have been CM for five terms.

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The BJD, which won 112 seats in the 147-member Assembly in the recently concluded elections, held simultaneously with the Lok Sabha polls, has been in power in Odisha since 2000.

It is the first time Patnaik has taken oath in an open public ground. In 2000, 2004, 2009 and 2014, he was sworn in at the Raj Bhavan.

In the state with total 147 assembly seats, the Biju Janata Dal bagged 105 seats, BJP 27, Congress 13 and CPM 1. BJD had won 112 seats in the Assembly, just 5 less than what it won in 2014 polls.

The 11 Cabinet ministers sworn-in were all old faces except Jharuguda MLA Naba Kishore Das and Titlagarh MLA Tukuni Sahu. Among the 9 ministers of State, all are new faces except Ashok Panda.

According to sources, senior legislator and former minister SN Patro is likely to be appointed the new president of Odisha assembly. At the same time, Binjharpur MLA Pramila Mallick is to be appointed the chief whip of the government.

Apart from chief minister's elder brother and businessman Prem Patnaik, sister and noted writer Gita Mehta, around 7,000 dignitaries including captains of industries attended the swearing-in ceremony.

A large number of BJD supporters and women grass root leaders attended the function.

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