BHUBANESWAR : The swearing-in ceremony of the first BJP government in Odisha has been deferred from June 10 to June 12.
State BJP spokesperson Sajjan Sharma said the oath taking ceremony had to be rescheduled in view of the pressing commitments of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the next two days. The prime minister has to attend several important meetings on June 10 and 11.
Modi will attend the swearing-in of Chandrababu Naidu in Andhra Pradesh on the same day before coming to Bhubaneswar to take part in installation of the new government here. The time of the oath-taking has been fixed at 8.35 pm. The prime minister is also set to hold a roadshow from Jayadev Vihar to the venue at Janata Maidan. However, there is still no clarity on the chief minister's face in Odisha. Party sources said the BJP Parliamentary board is likely to meet on Monday to select the person to lead the state. The first meeting of the BJP legislators will be held on June 11 to elect their leader.
The BJP parliamentary board has appointed newly-inducted Union ministers Rajnath Singh and Bhupendra Yadav as central observers to attend the legislature party meeting for unanimous selection of leader of the Assembly.
After his induction in the Modi cabinet, senior leader Dharmendra Pradhan is not in the race anymore. Meanwhile, senior leader and newly-elected MLA from Brajarajnagar Suresh Pujari has rushed to New Delhi, fuelling talks that he may be a key contender for the top post. Pujari was elected to the Lok Sabha from Bargarh in 2019 but was asked to contest the state elections this time.
Speculations are rife that search is on for someone who does not belong to any camp and has the ability to maintain a balance with different factions while efficiently running the government.
State BJP chief Manmohan Samal who played a key role in the BJP’s fight remains a strong contender though he had dismissed that he is in the race. Two other senior leaders and former ministers KV Singh Deo and Surama Padhi are also in contention. The top leadership of the party will take a call from these three names, sources said.
