Mohan Charan Majhi to be Odisha's first BJP Chief Minister

BHUBANESWAR: BJP leader Mohan Charan Majhi will be the new Chief Minister of Odisha. Majhi was elected leader of the BJP legislature party in Odisha at a meeting held on Tuesday. This is the first time a BJP leader is assuming power as the Chief Minister of Odisha.

It was Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh who announced the decision after the meeting of the party's newly-elected MLAs here. Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo and Pravati Parida will be Deputy Chief Ministers.

BJP will form its first government in Odisha after getting a majority in the assembly polls which were held simultaneously with the Lok Sabha polls.

Mohan Charan Majhi won a seat in the legislature by defeating BJD candidate Mina Majhi by 11,577 votes in the Keonjhar assembly constituency. He secured 40.84 percent votes in the constituency.

Rajnath Singh and Union Minister Bhupender Yadav were in the state capital as the party's central observers for the meeting of MLAs. The BJP won 78 of 147 seats in the Odisha assembly.