Mohan Charan Majhi: BJP's first Chief Minister of Odisha
Appointment
6 min read
Mohan Charan Majhi of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was sworn in as the chief minister of Odisha by the state Governor, Raghubar Das, in a ceremony at the Janata Maidan, Bhubaneswar, on 12 June 2024. He is the first BJP leader to become the chief minister of Odisha. He is also the third tribal after Giridhar Gamang and Hemananda Biswal (both from the Congress party) to become the chief minister of Odisha.
Two deputy chief ministers, Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo and Mrs.Pravati Parida, were also sworn in.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the BJP president, Union Minister J.P. Nadda, and the chief ministers of 9 BJP-ruled states were also present on the occasion.
BJP secures majority in Odisha legislative assembly
The election to constitute the 147-member 17th Odisha Legislative Assembly was held in four phases: May 13, May 20, May 25, and 1 June 2024, along with the Lok Sabha election.
The Election Commission of India declared the election on 4 June 2024.
The BJP won 78 seats, securing a comfortable majority in the assembly.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik's ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) won 51 seats, while the Congress Party won 14 seats.
In the Lok Sabha election, the BJP won 20 out of the 21 Lok Sabha seats from Odisha.
The BJP's victory also ended Naveen Patnaik’s 24-year uninterrupted rule as the chief minister of Odisha.
Naveen Patnaik became the chief minister of Odisha on 16 May 2024.
The BJD and BJP were in alliance in the state for 11 years- 1998 to 2009. Naveen Patnaik ended the alliance in 2009 after a riot in the Kandhamal district of Odisha.
Mohan Charan Majhi was elected leader of the BJP legislature party in a meeting on 11 June 2024. After his election, state Governor Raghubar Das invited him to form the government.
Mohan Charan Majhi
Like President Droupadi Murmu, the 52-year-old Mohan Charan Majhi belongs to the Santhal tribe and is a four-time MLA.
He started his political career as a sarpanch from 1997-2000.
He represents the Keonjhar assembly constituency and was elected for the first time in 2000. He was again re-elected from the same constituency in 2004, 2019 and 2024.
First women Deputy CM in Odisha
The Mohan Charan Majhi government has two deputy chief ministers, K V Singh Deo and Pravati Parida.
Pravati Parida is Odisha's first female deputy chief minister. The 57-year-old Pravati Parida is also a first-time MLA from Nimapara constituency in Puri district.
K V Singh Deo is a six-time MLA and recently won from the Patnagarh assembly constituency in Bolangir district. He belongs to the erstwhile royal family of Patnagarh in Bolangir.
About Odisha
The modern state of Odisha was founded on 1 April 1936 after Odisha (then Orissa) was carved out of the Orissa and Bihar province by the British with the addition of the Ganjam and Koraput districts of Madras province.
After the constitution was promulgated on 26 January 1950, Harekrushna Mahtab became the first chief minister of Odisha.
Naveen Patnaik was the 14th chief minister of Odisha and holds the record for being the longest-serving chief minister of the state, having served for 24 years and 99 days.
Mohan Charan Maji is the 15th chief minister of Odisha after the promulgation of the constitution.
Odisha's capital is Bhubaneshwar (since 19 August 1949; earlier, Cuttack was the capital).
The state name was changed to Odisha from Orissa in 2011.
Governor: Raghubar Das.
