Odisha Cabinet Reshuffle: New Ministers to Take Oath Tomorrow

Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is set to conduct a reshuffle of his Council of Ministers, with the newly appointed Ministers scheduled to take their oath at the Lok Seva Bhawan in Bhubaneswar on Monday.

The oath-taking ceremony will be administered by Governor Professor Ganeshi Lal in the conference hall of the Lok Seva Bhawan at 9:50 AM tomorrow.

To ensure the smooth proceedings of the event, Odisha Chief Secretary Pradeep Kumar Jena has urged all the invitees to arrive at the Lok Seva Bhawan by 9 AM.

This Cabinet reshuffle was necessitated due to the recent resignations of two Ministers, as well as a vacant position resulting from the tragic assassination of Health and Family Welfare Minister Naba Das in January.

On May 12, Odisha Assembly Speaker Bikram Keshari Arukha, School and Mass Education Minister Samir Ranjan Dash, and Labour Minister Srikanta Sahu tendered their resignations from their respective posts.

Speculation is rife regarding the potential candidates for the ministerial berths. Dipali Das, daughter of the late Naba Das, is among the contenders. Additionally, Susanta Singh and Sarada Nayak from western Odisha are also believed to be in the running.

Notably, several senior leaders are considered frontrunners for ministerial positions. Debi Mishra, Prasanta Muduli, Bikram Keshari Arukha, Umakanta Samantaray, and Byomkesh Ray from the coastal belt have emerged as strong candidates.

Simultaneously, Amar Satapathy, Shashi Bhusan Behera, Debi Prasad Mishra, Prafulla Samal, and Niranjan Pujari are competing for the position of Assembly Speaker, it seems.

Given that this reshuffle is likely to be the final one before the 2024 General Election, many MLAs have begun lobbying for ministerial appointments, as they seek to bolster their political prospects.