Tribal stalwart Mohan Majhi,52, is new Chief Minister of Odisha

BHUBANESWAR: The BJP on Tuesday sprang a surprise as it chose Mohan Charan Majhi, a tribal legislator as Chief Minister of Odisha. Kanak Vardhan Singhdeo, MLA from Patnagarh in western Odisha, and Prabhati Parida, from Nimapara in the coastal Puri district, will be his deputies.

Majhi, 52, a four-time MLA from Keonjhar, hailing from the Santhal tribal community and is known for his uncompromising stand against corruption and nepotism. He was the Opposition chief whip in the previous Odisha Assembly.

Majhi, along with two deputies, will take the oath of office on Wednesday evening at a grand ceremony to be held at Janata Maidan here. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union home minister Amit Shah, Chief Ministers of many BJP-ruled states and Union ministers will join the ceremony as special guests.

Though names of some stalwarts like Dharmendra Pradhan, Suresh Pujari, Girish Murmu and BJP state president Manmohan Samal were doing the rounds for the coveted post, sources said Majhi was carefully picked up the party’s central leadership, keeping in view the large presence of tribal communities in the state.

Odisha, according to the 2011 census, has a 22.85 per cent tribal population.

Majhi’s name was announced by Union minister Rajnath Singh after an hour of consultation with the newly elected MLAs. Singh, along with Union minister Bhupendra Yadav, were deputed by the party’s central leadership to Odisha to oversee the election of the new leader of the BJP Legislature Party (BJPLP).

Hailing from a rural background, Majhi started his political career as a sarpanch. He was elected to the Odisha Legislative Assembly from Keonjhar in 2000, 2004, 2019 and 2024.