BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik is all set to take oath of office as Chief Minister for a record fourth term in a row along with the new Council of Ministers at 10 am on May 21.
“The new Council of Ministers will be sworn in on May 21 morning,” said Patnaik after meeting Governor SC Jamir at Raj Bhawan on Monday afternoon. However, Patnaik refused to divulge the shape and names of his new Council of Ministers.
Patnaik presented a copy of the resolution with signature of the newly elected members electing him as the BJD legislature Party leader to Jamir and staked his claim to form the new Government.
The newly elected members of the party at its first meeting on Sunday had elected Patnaik as the leader of BJD legislature Party.
According to BJD sources, Patnaik would leave for his Assembly constituency on Tuesday, prior to taking oath of office as Chief Minister to thank the people for their unstinted support and electing him for the fourth time as their representative.
Meanwhile, all preparations have been made for the conduct of the swearing in ceremony in the Raj Bhawan premises with sitting capacity of around five thousand people.
Patnaik, who led BJD in the just concluded general election to a landslide victory by decimating the opposition, will be the first Chief Minister in Odisha to be sworn in for the fourth consecutive terms by breaking the record of the longest serving Chief Minister JB Patnaik who had ruled the State for long 14 years, although not consecutively. BJD under Patnaik’s leadership swept the Assembly poll by winning 117 of the total of 147 seats, a record which was earlier set by Congress in 1980 and 1985 Assembly elections under the leadership of Chief Minister JB Patnaik.