Naveen Patnaik takes oath as Odisha CM for 5th time
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and 20 of his ministers, half of whom are first-timers, took oath Wednesday morning at a public function in Bhubaneswar. More than 10,000 people attended the swearing-in ceremony despite mercury touching 40 degree Celsius. Naveen Patnaik’s elder brother Prem Patnaik and sister Gita Mehta, a celebrated writer, attended the swearing-in ceremony. So far only two chief ministers: Jyoti Basu of West Bengal and Pawan Chamling of Sikkim have been CM for five terms. Despite several political analysts predicting hung assembly due to huge anti-incumbency wave and a resurgent BJP, Patnaik’s BJD won 112 seats in the Assembly, just 5 less than what it won in 2014 polls.
