BJP MLA Mohan Charan Manjhi takes oath as Odisha CM
BJP MLA Mohan Charan Manjhi is set to become the new CM of Odisha after winning the recently held Lok Sabha elections against the ruling party BJD (Biju Janta Dal) of former CM Naveen Patnaik.
The 52-year-old Santhal legislator won 78 seats in the 147-member house, with additional support from two independent legislators. Naveen Patnaik’s BJD won 51 seats, while Congress received 14 seats.
बीजेपी नेतृत्व ने मोहन चरण मांझी जी को उडीसा के मुख्यमंत्री नियुक्त किया हैं..
Mohan Charan Manjhi #BJP
Chief Minister of Odisha #Odisha pic.twitter.com/mT1GTL3zmd— Neeraj (मोदी का परिवार) (@neeraj354) June 11, 2024
Manjhi’s name was announced after a meeting of high-level BJP legislators in New Delhi yesterday. He will be taking the oath as the Chief Minister (CM) of Odisha in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Bhubaneshwar on Wednesday.
He will be aided by six-time legislator K. V. Singh Deo and first-timer Pravati Parida, who will be taking oaths tomorrow as the deputy CMs of the state. The 67-year-old Singh Deo hails from the former royal family of Patnagarh in Bolangir district and has served as a minister in the BJP-BJD coalition government since 2009.
While 57-year-old Parida was the Odisha BJP’s women’s wing president, hailing from the Khandayat caste of OBC’s (other backward castes), she had won the LS elections from Nimapara constituency in Puri district. She will be Odisha’s first woman deputy chief minister, hailing from an OBC caste.
Who is Mohan Charan Manjhi?
Mohan Charan Manjhi was born into an impoverished Santhal family in Raikela, Odisha, on January 6, 1972. Hailing from a humble background, Manjhi started his career as a teacher at Saraswati Shishu Vidya Mandir, based in the Kendujhar district of Odisha, run by the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangha).
His political journey began when he won a panchayat election three decades ago and became a village council chief (sarpanch). His tribal background and fervent advocacy of tribal rights gained him massive popularity in the state, resulting in his being elected as a BJP legislator four times.
Being a son of the soil, Manjhi rallied massive support for the BJP and ultimately ousted former CM Naveen Patnaik’s 24-year-old hold on Odisha. Several high-ranking cabinet ministers, including Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, have lauded Manjhi’s active politics, which helped the BJP secure a foothold in the state.
Shortly after his name was announced as the new CM of Odisha, Manjhi said to his followers, “Owing to the blessings of Lord Jagannath, the BJP has achieved a majority in Odisha and is going to form the government in the state. I would like to thank the 45 million Odias who decided to vote for a change and bring the BJP to power in Odisha. The BJP will definitely honor the trust that the people of Odisha have shown.”
Majhi will become the third tribal chief minister of Odisha after Hemananda Biswal and Giridhar Gamanga of the Congress party. One of the BJP’s most loyal supporters in Odisha, the proposal of Manjhi’s name as the new CM was not a surprise, given his exceptional record in winning over the 23 percent tribal population of the state.
Manjhi’s election as CM sounds like the end of BJD
Given the historic Lok Sabha verdict from Odisha, the new CM Mohan Charan Manjhi has been one of the most fervent critics of former CM Naveen Patnaik in recent years.
He had forwarded the BJP’s Lok Sabha agenda in the state over the issue of the “missing” keys of the Puri Jagannath temple’s Ratna Bhandar (treasure trove), as well as raising awareness about the rising corruption in the state’s civil administration under Patnaik.
Given the historic verdict by the people of Odisha this year, it is possible that Patnaik’s BJD, which had ruled Odisha for the last 24 years, may have been replaced by the BJP for the final time.
