Picture : Twitter / ANI
Biju Janata Dal president Naveen Patnaik took oath as the Chief Minister of Odisha for a fifth consecutive term. Patnaik was administered the oath of office and secrecy by Governor Ganeshi Lal in a grand ceremony at the Idco Exhibition Ground .
Naveen Patnaik won from his home turf Hinjili under the Aska Lok Sabha seat in southern Odisha and Bijapur in the Bargarh Lok Sabha seat in western Odisha
The BJD, which won 112 seats in the 147-member Assembly in the recently concluded elections, held simultaneously with the Lok Sabha polls, has been in power in Odisha since 2000. BJP won 23 seats while the Congress won 9 seats .
It is the first time Patnaik has taken oath in an open public ground. In 2000, 2004, 2009 and 2014, he was sworn in at the Raj Bhavan.
Apart from chief minister’s elder brother and businessman Prem Patnaik, sister and noted writer Gita Mehta, around 7,000 dignitaries including captains of industries attended the swearing-in ceremony.
A large number of BJD supporters and women grass root leaders attended the function.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Naveen Patnaik in a tweet and assured complete cooperation from Centre
Congratulations to Shri Naveen Patnaik Ji on taking oath as Odisha’s Chief Minister. Best wishes to him and his team in fulfilling the people’s aspirations. I assure complete cooperation from the Centre in working for Odisha’s progress. @Naveen_Odisha
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 29, 2019
