Odisha: Who will succeed Naveen Patnaik after 24 years? List of BJP's probable CM candidates

The names of several senior leaders like Dharmendra Pradhan, Baijayant Panda and Suresh Pujari are doing the rounds for the top post.The BJP had ruled the state as an alliance partner of the BJD in 2000 and 2004 and this is the first time that the party will form the government on its own in Odisha.

"The selection of the CM will be based on the criteria set by the PM- an Odia who will uphold the culture and tradition of the state will be the next chief minister of Odisha," Samal said.

Maintaining that all commitments made by the BJP before the polls would be fulfilled, he said that the assembly election was fought to protect Odia pride, culture and tradition. "The people trusted BJP's assurances and the new government will certainly work for those. People have rejected the idea of a non-Odia CM and voted for the BJP," he added.

The BJP emerged victorious in the Odisha assembly elections for the first time, securing 78 seats out of 147, surpassing the Biju Janata Dal's 51 seats.

Naveen Patnaik tendered resignation 

After suffering a massive defeat in the State Assembly and Parliamentary elections, the 24-year-old tenure of Odisha CM and Biju Janata Dal (BJD) chief Naveen Patnaik concluded as he submitted his resignation to the Odisha Governor Raghubar Das at the Raj Bhavan in Bhubaneswar.The Biju Janata Dala which has ruled Odisha since 1997 lost to the BJP breaking the 24-year-old reign of Naveen Patnaik as the Chief Minister.

Here are Top 8 contenders of Chief Minister's face in Odisha

1. Dharmendra Pradhan

Dharmendra Pradhan won the Sambalpur Lok Sabha seat by a margin of over 1 lakh votes against BJD's Pranab Prakash Das. Pradhan, who is tipped to be a front-runner for the CM post in the BJP government in Odisha said the victory in the state was a victory of the people. He added that this victory is not only the victory of BJP but the victory of 4.5 crore Odiyans. This is a great victory for the identity, language, culture and identity of the people of Odisha. Pradhan described Odisha's victory as a testament to the public's trust in PM Modi's leadership.

The massive success of the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana LPG connection scheme is often attributed to his 10-year tenure as the Petroleum minister. He led the Odia asmita (Odia identity) campaign of the BJP that led to the party's triumph in the state.

2. Suresh Pujari

Another name in the race for CM of Odisha is Suresh Pujari. Pujari is the MLA of Brajraj Nagar and is considered close to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Suresh won the Bargarh Lok Sabha seat in 2019. He is a former national secretary of the BJP. His move to the assembly is a strong indication of the BJP's intent to keep him in a plum position in the Odisha Cabinet.

3. Girish Chandra Murmu

Girish Chandra Murmu is a retired 1985 batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of Gujarat cadre and is currently is the external auditor of the World Health Organization (WHO). Earlier, he was the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India and also the lieutenant governor of Jammu and Kashmir.

Murmu worked with Narendra Modi as the principal secretary of Gujarat during Modi's tenure as CM and is considered among his close confidantes. In May 2023, Girish Chandra was re-elected as the external auditor of the World Health Organization till 2027. When the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir got the status of a Union Territory, the retired 1985 batch IAS officer from the Gujarat cadre, became its first Lieutenant Governor. His name for the CM's post was proposed even before the BJP's victory. 

4. Manmohan Samal

Another contender in the race for the post of Odisha CM is Manmohan Samal. Samal is the state president of BJP in Odisha. He lost the Chandbali assembly seat but could be picked by Narendra Modi. Manmohan Samal said that the party's Parliamentary Board would soon decide regarding the state's chief minister. Samal also reiterated the BJP’s poll promise that only an Odia would be made the chief minister of Odisha.

Samal said the issue of opening the Puri Jagannath Temple treasury and the gates of Shree Mandir would be sorted out soon. During the poll campaign, PM Modi had assured that a son of the soil, who could understand and speak Odia language, would be chosen by the BJP to helm the affairs of the state. Samal also declared that many welfare schemes of the previous government would be stopped and replaced by central schemes.

Speaking to media Samal said, “The Parliamentary Board will decide soon and an Odia will take oath as the chief minister on June 10 as announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It will take one or two more days to decide.” 

5. Mohan Charan Majhi

Mohan Charan Majhi won the Keonjhar seat with a margin of around 87,815 votes. He defeated BJD's Mina Majhi from the constituency. 

6. Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo

BJP leader Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo has won from the Patnagarh assembly seat with a margin of around 1,357 votes. Deo defeated BJD's Saroj Kumar Meher in the poll battle. Kanak Vardhan is also one of the key contenders in the race of Chief Minister of Odisha. 

7. Laxman Bag

BJP's Laxman Bag became a household name in Odisha overnight after he emerged as a giant killer by defeating CM Naveen Patnaik in the Kantabanji assembly seat in Bolangir district. 48-year-old Bag won the Kantabanji seat by around 16,344 votes in a massive upset for the five-term CM who fought the elections from two seats. Patnaik won the Hinjili seat by 4,636 votes. This was Patnaik's first electoral defeat after entering public life as the MP of Aska in 1998.

Bag said that for him the biggest issue was the lack of employment in the area which was forcing people to migrate elsewhere. In his election affidavit, he said he was a matric-pass and declared his profession as farmer. There were 12 criminal cases against him. In the last election, Bag had lost to Santosh Singh Saluja of the Congress by a slender margin of 128 votes in Kantabaji.

8. Baijayant Jay Panda 

Baijayant Panda won the Kendrapara Lok Sabha seat in Odisha. He had been a one-time Rajya Sabha MP and two-time Lok Sabha MP from BJD. He joined the BJP six years ago and contested from Kendrapara constituency in 2019 where he lost.