Odisha govt will now take oath on June 12

Bhubaneswar, June 9 (FN Agency) The swearing-in ceremony of the newly elected Bharatiya Janata Party government in Odisha will be held on June 12, party spokesperson Jatin Mohanty said on Sunday. Earlier, the ceremony was scheduled to be held on June 10, as per Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement during his election meetings in Odisha. Modi had stated at several rallies that June 4 would be the expiry date of the Biju Janata Dal government and a new BJP Chief Minister, a son or daughter of Odisha, would take oath on June 10 in Bhubaneswar. Mohanty said that since Modi will take oath as Prime Minister Sunday evening and has several other important engagements on June 10, the proposed oath-taking ceremony of the BJP government in Odisha has been rescheduled to June 12.

The BJP spokesperson added that the meeting of the BJP legislative party, which was also scheduled to be held on June 10, will now be held on June 11. He said the BJP legislative party meeting will elect its leader, approved by the BJP parliamentary board.Sources said a senior BJP MLA is likely to be elected as the Chief Minister, and there is also a possibility of creating a Deputy Chief Minister post to accommodate another senior party leader. Meanwhile, hectic preparations are underway at the famous Janata Maidan in the state capital, the venue of the ceremony. Mohanty said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several other senior BJP leaders, along with some BJP chief ministers, are scheduled to attend the oath-taking ceremony.