Bhubaneswar, (Reporterspen) June 10: As the suspense persists over the appointment of a new chief minister in Odisha, the BJP has designated Rajnath Singh and Bhupender Yadav as observers for the election of the leader of its 78-member legislature party in the state.
Suresh Pujari, the Brajarajnagar MLA-elect, who returned from New Delhi after attending Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s swearing-in ceremony, confirmed that the two Union Ministers will participate in the BJP legislature party meeting scheduled for Tuesday. “The meeting will convene tomorrow, with Cabinet ministers Rajnath Singh and Bhupendra Yadav serving as observers. Consultations will be conducted, and based on consensus, the next Odisha CM’s name will be announced by them,” Pujari stated, positioning himself as one of the contenders for the post.
However, the final decision will rest with the BJP parliamentary board, the party’s highest decision-making body, Pujari added.
In addition to Pujari, other contenders for the post include state BJP president Manmohan Samal, along with MLAs-elect KV Singh and Mohan Majhi.
Pujari also confirmed Prime Minister Modi’s attendance at the swearing-in ceremony of the maiden BJP government’s CM at Janata Maidan on June 12 at 4:45 pm. The Prime Minister is expected to arrive in Bhubaneswar at 2:10 pm and proceed to Raj Bhavan before conducting a roadshow from Jayadev Vihar to the venue. “PM Modi will lead the roadshow to express gratitude to the people of Odisha for granting 20 parliamentary seats and a clear mandate for forming the next government,” Pujari noted.
