In Odisha, the suspense over the name of next chief minister continues with only two days left for the swearing-in of the first BJP government on Wednesday. The BJP has appointed Union Ministers Rajnath Singh and Bhupender Yadav as central observers to oversee the election of the leader of its MLAs in the Odisha Assembly. The BJP legislature party is likely to meet tomorrow morning in presence of the central observers in the state capital Bhubaneswar. Many names including senior BJP MLA Suresh Pujari, who returned to Bhubaneswar this morning from Delhi after meeting senior party leaders, are doing the rounds for the post of the Chief Minister. Hectic parleys are on in Bhubaneswar over the name of the first BJP chief minister of Odisha after the party had a resounding victory in the just concluded Assembly elections. Union Ministers Rajnath Singh and Bhupender Yadav who have been appointed as central observers are likely to arrive at Bhubaneswar tonight or tomorrow morning. The BJP legislature party has been convened tomorrow at 11 in the morning where the leader of the legislature party is likely to be elected by consensus. Senior party MLA from Brajrajnagar Suresh Pujari who returned from Delhi this morning said that all should wait for the announcement by the central observers on the next chief minister of the state. Mr Pujari is said to be a front runner for the post of chief minister of Odisha. The BJP may also come up with a surprise name for the chief minister’s post. Meanwhile, all preparations are on for the grand swearing-in function of the new chief minister at Janata Maidan in Bhubaneswar on Wednesday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to hold a grand roadshow at Bhubaneswar before attending the swearing-in ceremony. The BJP won 78 seats in the 147-member assembly, scoring a majority for the first time in the state, ending the Biju Janata Dal’s over 24 years rule under outgoing Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
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