Odisha CM Majhi allocates portfolios, retains home, finance

Bhubaneshwar: Three days after being sworn in as the chief minister of Odisha, Mohan Charan Majhi on Saturday allocated portfolios among his ministers, retaining key portfolios, including finance, home, general administration, water resources and information and public relations.

Deputy chief minister KV Singh Deo was given agriculture and farmers empowerment and energy while second deputy CM, Pravati Parida, a debutant MLA and the only women minister in the cabinet, was given the charge of women and child development, Mission Shakti and tourism.

Among the cabinet ministers, Suresh Pujari has been assigned revenue and disaster management, while Rabi Naik would look after rural development, panchayati raj and drinking water. 

Nityanand Gond, who won from Umerkote in Nabarangpur, was assigned SC/ST development, school and mass education and social security and people with disabilities empowerment ministry.

First-time MLA Prithviraj Harichandan was given the charge of law, excise and public works while former environmental scientist and Dalit politician Mukesh Mahaling was given ministries of health and family welfare, parliamentary affairs and electronic and information technology. First-time MLA Bibhuti Bhushan Jena would be the cabinet minister for steel and mines.

Among the ministers with independent charge, Suryabanshi Suraj, a Dalit MLA, was given the charge of higher education, sports and youth services and Odia language while tribal politician Ganesh Ram Singh Khuntia from Mayurbhanj district was assigned forest and environment minister.

Majhi is the first Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief minister ever to assume the chair in Odisha.

In the recently concluded assembly polls, the BJP won 78 of the 147 assembly seats forming its first-ever government in the state. Naveen Patnaik-led Biju Janata Dal (BJD) slumped to 51 seats, its worst-ever performance in Assembly polls. Patnaik, who contested from two seats, lost the election from Kantabanji while he managed to scrape through by 4,600 votes in his pocket borough in Hinjili. 11 of his ministers also lost the assembly election. 

In the Lok Sabha election, the BJP won 20 of the 21 seats while one seat of Koraput went to Congress.