Mohan Charan Majhi Appointed as New Chief Minister of Odisha

Bhubaneswar, Odisha – In a historic shift of power, tribal leader and four-time MLA from Keonjhar, Mohan Charan Majhi, has been announced as the new Chief Minister of Odisha. This marks the first time the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has come to power in the state.

The announcement came on Tuesday following a meeting of the newly elected BJP MLAs at the party headquarters. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh declared that 52-year-old Majhi had been unanimously elected as the leader of the legislature party, paving the way for his appointment as Chief Minister.

The proposal for Majhi’s leadership was seconded by legislators Surama Padhi, Laxman Bag, Rabinarayan Nayak, and Prithiviraj Harichandan, with overwhelming support from other MLAs. “Delighted to announce that Shri Mohan Charan Majhi has been elected unanimously as the leader of Odisha BJP Legislature Party,” Rajnath Singh posted on X. “He is a young and dynamic party karyakarta who will take the state forward on the road to progress and prosperity as the new Chief Minister of Odisha. Many congratulations to him.”

Majhi’s political journey began as a teacher at Saraswati Sishu Mandir, managed by Vidya Bharati, the educational wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. He later transitioned to a formal political career, serving as a sarpanch from 1997 to 2000. He has been elected to the Odisha Assembly from Keonjhar multiple times since 2000, with a brief gap from 2009-2014 when the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) dominated the state.

In addition to his legislative duties, Majhi has served as Secretary of the BJP’s State Adivasi Morcha, Deputy Chief Whip during the BJD-BJP coalition government, and Chief Whip of the party in the last Assembly.

The BJP has also appointed Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo, scion of the Balangir royal family and Patnagarh MLA, and Nimapara MLA Pravati Parida as the new Deputy Chief Ministers. “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 Ministers. Congratulations to them!” Rajnath Singh announced.

After the announcement, Majhi paid obeisance to Lord Jagannath and expressed his gratitude to the 4.5 crore people of Odisha for their support. He also thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, central observers Rajnath Singh and Bhupender Yadav, and state BJP chief Manmohan Samal for their roles in forming the first BJP government in Odisha.

Six-time MLA and former minister Singh Deo assured that the new BJP government would diligently work to fulfill the promises made during the election campaign.

A delegation of BJP MLAs, led by CM-designate Majhi and accompanied by Union Ministers Rajnath Singh, Dharmendra Pradhan, and Ashwini Vaishnaw, met with Governor Raghubar Das to submit the list of 78 BJP MLAs and letters of support from three independent MLAs.

Majhi and his council of ministers are scheduled to take oath at Janata Maidan on Wednesday at 4:45 p.m. The state BJP chief has called on the people of Odisha to celebrate the swearing-in ceremony by lighting two earthen lamps at their homes.