BJP to pick Odisha CM today; Suresh Pujari, Manmohan Samal, GC Murmu among front-runners

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which stunned the ruling BJD in the assembly election and ended Naveen Patnaik's 24-year rule in Odisha, will pick its chief minister today. The BJP legislature party will hold its first meeting later in the day to elect the chief minister and the new government will take oath the next day, Wednesday. 

The BJP's legislature party meeting will take place at 4:30 pm at the party's state headquarters. Union Minister Rajnath Singh and Bhupender Yadav will attend as central observers. The new BJP government will take oath at 5 pm on June 12 (Wednesday). 

On June 4, the BJP secured a majority by winning 78 seats in the 147-member Odisha Assembly. Initially, Dharmendra Pradhan, Baijayant Jai Panda, and Sambit Patra's names were doing rounds for the top post in the state. However, the BJP may not want to send its MP to the state as the party does not have majority on its own in the Lok Sabha.   

Now that Dharmendra Pradhan has been inducted into the Modi 3.0 government, attention has shifted to Brajarajnagar MLA-elect Suresh Pujari, who returned from New Delhi on Monday.  

According to PTI, Vijay Pal Singh Tomar, the BJP's Odisha in-charge, said experienced leaders led by observers Rajnath Singh and Bhupender Yadav will hold a discussion with the legislators. 

There was also buzz that Girish Chandra Murmu may make the cut for the top post. Murmu, who comes from a small town in Odisha's Mayurbhanj district, is currently the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG). 

Speaking on this, Tomar said, "There is nothing of that sort. I have no knowledge about it. However, everything will be decided in the BJP legislature party meeting on Tuesday." 

Murmu, a 1985-batch IAS officer of the Gujarat cadre, served as the Lieutenant Governor after the state was split into two UTs — Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh. He was Expenditure Secretary in the Ministry of Finance when he was appointed as the Lt Governor of Jammu and Kashmir. He also served as Principal Secretary to Narendra Modi during his tenure as Gujarat Chief Minister.

BJP's state president Manmohan Samal, KV Singh, and Mohan Majhi are also contenders for the chief minister's post. Pujari emphasized that there is no competition within the party. "The Parliamentary Party will make the final decision, which will be endorsed by the legislature party," he noted. 

However, party leaders anticipate that the BJP leadership might unveil a surprise announcement, as seen in previous instances in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Chhattisgarh. Consultations will occur at the highest level, and based on consensus, the next Odisha CM's name will be unveiled by the observers, he added. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to arrive in Bhubaneswar at 2:30 pm on June 12 and proceed to Raj Bhavan from the airport. He would then head to Janata Maidan to attend the oath-taking ceremony, Balasore MP Pratap Sarangi said. While the party has proposed a roadshow for Modi in the state capital before the swearing-in ceremony on June 12, police confirmation is pending. 

The Commissionerate Police has implemented stringent security measures for the event, with authorities at the Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) facilitating smooth VVIP movement. In addition to Modi, several dignitaries, including Union Ministers and Chief Ministers of various BJP-ruled states, are expected to attend the oath-taking ceremony of the new Odisha CM and other Ministers. 

(With inputs from PTI)