BHUBANESWAR: Hours after BJD president Naveen Patnaik resigned from the chief minister’s post on Wednesday after his party’s defeat in the elections, two retired IAS officers Suresh Chandra Mahapatra and R Balakrishnan also put in their papers as chief advisors of the CMO.
Mahapatra was the chief advisor in the CMO and Balakrishnan the chief advisor, special initiatives. The resignations of the two key bureaucrats came to light after the General Administration and Public Grievance department issued notifications in this regard. The resignations were accepted on June 5.
The posts of chief advisors were political appointments. The CMO is expected to be overhauled after a BJP government takes over formally in the state, said sources.
Besides, principal secretary in Electronics and IT department Manoj Kumar Mishra also resigned from his post on Thursday. According to a notification issued by the General Administration department, resignation of Mishra has been accepted by the government with effect from June 4.
A 2000-batch IRTS officer, Mishra was appointed by the BJD government as the principal secretary in Electronics and IT department on contractual basis in 2022. He had resigned from IRTS while working on deputation to the state. The CMO and some of his advisors were targeted by the BJP during the election campaign.