BJP appoints Rajnath Singh, Bhupender Yadav as observers for Odisha CM's election

BJP has deputed two senior Union Ministers to oversee the election of the Chief Minister in Odisha following its victory in the recent assembly polls. According to an official statement released on June 9 by BJP's National General Secretary Arun Singh, Rajnath Singh and Bhupender Yadav have been appointed as central observers for the crucial legislative party meeting.

"The Parliamentary Board of the Bharatiya Janata Party has appointed Mr. Rajnath Singh, Union Minister, Government of India, and Mr. Bhupender Yadav, Union Minister, Government of India, as central observers for the election of the leader of the party's legislative assembly in Odisha," the statement read.

The development comes after the BJP's resounding performance in the Odisha elections, where it secured 78 seats in the 147-member assembly, ending the 24-year reign of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) under Naveen Patnaik. The BJD managed to win only 51 seats, while the Congress bagged 14 constituencies.

Separately, BJP's spokesperson Dillip Mohanty announced that the swearing-in ceremony of Odisha's new Chief Minister would take place on June 12, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi gracing the occasion.

Meanwhile, in the BJD camp, Pandian, a close aide of Patnaik and a recent inductee into the party after retiring from the bureaucracy, has decided to bid adieu to active politics following the electoral setback.