Biju Janata Dal chief Naveen Patnaik has taken oath as Odisha chief minister for the fifth time.
He took oath at the IDCO exhibition ground in Bhubaneswar. It is the first time Naveen Patnaik has taken oath in an open public ground. In 2000, 2004, 2009 and 2014, he was sworn in at the Raj Bhavan.
Naveen Patnaik had invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the swearing-in ceremony. PM Modi did not attend the function. However, he congratulated Naveen Patnaik on the swearing-in, promising cooperation from the Centre, "Congratulations to Naveen Patnaik Ji on taking oath as Odisha’s chief minister. Best wishes to him and his team in fulfilling the people’s aspirations. I assure complete cooperation from the Centre in working for Odisha’s progress," said PM Modi.
Apart from the chief minister's elder sister and noted writer Gita Mehta, around 7,000 dignitaries including captains of industries and some Padma awardees attended the swearing-in ceremony.
Prominent among the guests are eminent sculptor Raghunath Mohapatra, noted musician Prafulla Kar, danseuse Priyamanda Mohanty, and industrialists Kumarmangalam Birla, Naveen Jindal.
The ruling BJD also invited women grassroots leaders, whom Naveen Patnaik considered as the real "double engine" for growth of the state.
Read News-  एफडीआई छह साल में पहली बार घटा, देश में प्रत्यक्ष विदेशी निवेश
10 new faces in Patnaik cabinet
Along with Naveen Patnaik, 10 new ministers also took the oath.
Odisha Governor Ganeshi Lal Tuesday appointed 11 Cabinet ministers and nine Ministers of State on the recommendations of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, a communication from the Raj Bhavan said.
The strength of the council of ministers in Odisha at 21, including the chief minister, is less than 15 percent of the strength of the assembly as prescribed by the Sarkaria Commission.
Patnaik's new ministry will have 10 new faces: Telkoi MLA Premaanda Nayak, Titlagarh MLA Tukuni Sahu (Woman), Nimapara MLA Sameer Das, Jharsuguda MLA Naba Kishore Das, Kotpad MLA Padmini Dian (Woman), Balikuda-Erasama MLA Raghunandan Das, Junagarh MLA Dibyashankar Mishra, Bissam Cuttack MLA Jagannath Saraka, Simulia MLA Jyotiprakash Panigarhi, and Kakatpur MLA Tusharkanti Behera.
The 11 cabinet ministers are: Ranendra Pratap Swain, Bikram Keshari Arukha, Prafulla Mallick, Niranjan Pujari, Padmanabh Behera, Pratap Jena, Arun Kumar Sahoo, Sudam Marandi, Sushant Singh, Naba Kishore Das, and Tukuni Sahu (woman).
The nine Ministers of State are: Ashok Chandra Panda, Sameer Ranjan Dash, Jyoti Prakash Panigrahi, Dibya Shankar Mishra, Premananda Nayak, Raghunandan Das, Padmini Dian (Woman), Tusharkanti Behera and Jagannath Saraka.
Bikram Arukh, Pratap Jena, Niranjan Pujari, Prafulla Mallick, Ashok Panda and Sushant Singh are among the legislators who retained their ministerial berths.
Senior MLA and former minister S N Patro is likely to be named as the Speaker of the Odisha Legislative Assembly while Binjharpur MLA Pramila Mallick may be appointed as the government's chief whip, sources said.