BHUBANESWAR: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Thursday left for Kolkata to join Union Home minister Amit Shah ahead of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s crucial legislature party meeting scheduled for May 8, where the party will elect its leader in West Bengal Assembly.
Majhi who has been appointed as co-observer for West Bengal will be part of the crucial process of selecting the first BJP chief minister of the state. The swearing-in ceremony of the new West Bengal chief minister is scheduled to be held on May 9 at the Brigade Parade Ground.
As co-observer, Majhi will assist in conducting discussions among party legislators and help ensure a smooth selection of the legislature party leader. Political observers see the assignment as a sign of Majhi’s growing heft in the BJP at the national level.
Majhi had played an active role during the BJP’s West Bengal Assembly election campaign as a star campaigner. He addressed several rallies and roadshows, particularly in areas with a significant Odia-speaking population. During the campaign, he highlighted Odisha’s development model and appealed voters to support a ‘double-engine government’ in Bengal.
The BJP leadership’s decision to give Majhi a key responsibility in the government formation process in West Bengal is being viewed as recognition of his organisational role and contribution to the party’s outreach in eastern India.