Bhubaneswar, Jun 5: As Odisha bids adieu to the 24-year reign of BJD leader Naveen Patnaik, all eyes are now on who will be the next chief minister of the state. Although the BJP campaigned without a specific chief ministerial face, a few names have now surfaced.
Names of several BJP leaders of the state are being considered. Notable among them are- Dharmendra Pradhan, Jual Oram and Sambit Patra.
Dharmendra Pradhan, the Union Minister for Education, Skill Development, and Entrepreneurship, has won from the Sambalpur Lok Sabha seat by a significant margin. His strong performance has fueled speculation that he could be a frontrunner for the chief minister’s position.
Name of Jual Oram, the former Union Minister and sitting BJP MP, who has emerged victorous in the Sundergarh Lok Sabha constituency, is doing rounds for the chiefministership.
Sambit Patra, a doctor by profession and the party’s national spokesperson, has won from the Puri Lok Sabha seat. Although he narrowly lost to BJD’s Pinaki Misra in the 2019 elections, this time he has won the seat.
Apart from them, it is also speculated that Girish Chandra Murmu, trusted aide of Modi-Shah may be the first BJP Chief Minister of Odisha. Murmu is a 1985 batch IAS officer of Gujarat cadre. He had served as lieutenant Governor of J&k , Comptroller and Auditor General of India.
The BJP has already announced that it will very soon nominate its Chief Minister, and an “Odisha-born, Odia-talking CM” will take oath on June 10. The final decision remains to be seen.
