Mohan Charan Majhi, a tribal leader and four-time MLA from Keonjhar, will take office as Odisha’s new chief minister on Wednesday. This is the state where the BJP has made its maiden electoral victory.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh announced that 52-year-old Majhi had been unanimously elected as the leader of the legislature party, clearing the door for him to become the Chief Minister, after a gathering of recently elected BJP MLAs at the party headquarters here.

Legislators Surama Padhi, Laxman Bag, Rabinarayan Nayak, and Prithiviraj Harichandan seconded the idea as Majhi’s name was put out for the Chief Minister position, and other MLAs backed it.

“Delighted to announce that Shri Mohan Charan Manjhi has been elected unanimously as the leader of Odisha BJP Legislature Party. He is a young and dynamic party karyakarta who will take the state forward on road to progress and prosperity as the new Chief Minister of Odisha. Many congratulations to him,” Rajnath Singh posted on X.

The former scion of the Balangir royal family, Patnagarh MLA Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo, and Nimapara MLA Pravati Parida were also named deputy chief ministers by the BJP.

“Also, it has been decided that two Deputy Chief Ministers will be designated to head the new State Government. Shri KV Singh Deo and Smt. Pravati Parida will serve the state as Deputy Chief Minister. Congratulations to them!” Rajnath Singh posted.

With 78 seats in the 147-member Assembly, the BJP put an end to the Biju Janata Dal government, led by Naveen Patnaik, which had ruled the state for 24 years. Additionally, three independent candidates declared their support for the party.

Majhi was first elected from Keonjhar to the Odisha Assembly in 2000, and he has served as its representative ever since, with the exception of the years 2009–14 when the BJD swept the state. In the elections, he was re-elected with 11,577 votes more than Mina Majhi of the BJD.

He began his career as an educator at Saraswati Sishu Mandir, which is run by Vidya Bharati, the RSS’s educational wing. Later, he quit education to pursue a formal political career, serving as a sarpanch from 1997 to 2000.

Majhi has also held positions as the State Adivasi Morcha Secretary for the BJP and Deputy Chief Whip for the BJD-BJP coalition government from 2005 to 2009. In the most recent Assembly, he also held the position of Chief Whip for the party.

After the proclamation, Majhi offered Lord Jagannath his respects. He expressed gratitude to Odisha’s 4.5 crore citizens for bringing about the state’s political shift.

In addition, he thanked state BJP president Manmohan Samal, central observers Rajnath Singh and Bhupender Yadav, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for making it possible for Odisha to elect its first BJP administration.

Former minister and six-time MLA Singh Deo declared that the BJP government would do everything necessary to carry out the pledges the party made during the election.

Governor Raghubar Das received a group of BJP MLAs led by CM-designate Majhi, Union Ministers Rajnath Singh, Dharmendra Pradhan, and Ashwini Vaishnaw, along with letters of support from three other independent MLAs.

Today at Janata Maidan, Majhi, his Deputy Chief Ministers, and other ministers will be sworn in by the Governor.

Amit Shah, the home minister, Prime Minister Modi, the chief ministers of a few states ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party, and other dignitaries are anticipated to attend the event. The PM is expected to arrive at the venue around 2:10 p.m. on Wednesday, arriving at Biju Patnaik International Airport first. After the event, he will depart for Delhi.

It is anticipated that between 40,000 and 50,000 people would attend the ceremony on Wednesday. 67 platoons of Odisha Police have been sent out to guard the event site and VIP attendees.

The head of the state BJP has asked the people of Odisha to light two earthen lamps at their homes on Wednesday in observance of the swearing-in event.