BHUBANESWAR: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has made a balanced mix of region, caste and experience while deciding on the names for the new ministry which will be sworn in on Sunday. Importance has been given to representation of women, scheduled castes and scheduled tribes in the new ministry.
While Usha Devi, Pramilla Mallik and Tukuni Sahu will be sworn in as Cabinet ministers, Rita Sahu and Basanti Hembram will hold minister of state rank in the new ministry. Similarly, the new ministry will have two scheduled castes and scheduled tribes members each. Sources said that the ministry has more than 40 percent OBC members.
Region wise, Kendrapara district has been given due representation with the induction of Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak and Pratap Deb as Cabinet ministers while Jagatsinghpur district will be represented by Prashant Muduli.
He will be appointed as the government chief whip in place of Pramilla Mallick to be sworn in as a Cabinet minister. Jajpur district will be represented in the ministry by Pramilla Mallick and Pritiranjan Gharai.
In Ganjam, the home district of the Chief Minister, the political situation will undergo a sea change with Surya Narayan Patro resigning as the Speaker. The post of Speaker is likely to remain in the district with Bikram Keshari Arukha tipped to succeed Patro. Usha Devi and Srikanta Sahu have been included in the new ministry.
Five ministers will represent Western Odisha districts in the Cabinet. Two new faces Rohit Pujari from Rairakhol and Rita Sahu from Bijepur will be inducted in the ministry of state while Naba Kishore Das from Jharsuguda, Tukuni Sahu from Titlagarh and Rajendra Dholakia from Kalahandi will be Cabinet ministers.
Balasore and Mayurbhanj districts will have one member each in the Cabinet with the induction of Ashwini Patro and Basanti Hembram respectively while Puri district will have two members Samir Ranjan Das and Tusharkanti Behera in the ministry.
However, only one member Ranendra Pratap Swain will represent Cuttack district in the Cabinet. The undivided Koraput district is likely to represented in the ministry by lone member Jagannath Saraka, who represents Bissamkatak constituency in Rayagada district in the assembly.