Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister designate Mohan Majhi today met former CM and BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik at the latter's residence and invited him to the oath-taking ceremony.

Speaking to reporters after the courtesy visit, Majhi said, “I came to invite former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to the swearing-in ceremony and sought his blessings. Naveen Babu has agreed to attend the oath-taking ceremony.”

Earlier in the day, Majhi garlanded statues of prominent figures at different locations in Bhubaneswar. Accompanying him were Deputy Chief Minister-designates KV Singh Deo and Pravati Parida, along with several other BJP leaders.

Majhi, BJP's Keonjhar MLA and tribal leader, will take oath as the new Chief Minister of Odisha at the Janata Maidan here at around 5 PM. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with several top BJP leaders, will attend the event.

Yesterday, a delegation of the Odisha unit of the BJP had invited Patnaik for the oath-taking ceremony.

The BJP is going to form government in Odisha for the very first time. The saffron party won the Odisha Assembly Elections-2024 by securing 78 out of 147 seats, thereby ending the BJD's reign of 24 years in the state.

The regional party managed to bag 51 seats while the Congress stood at a distant third position with 14 seats.

Odisha will also have a new Chief Minister after 2000 as Naveen Patnaik's 24 years of stint as CM ended with BJD's defeat. He took oath as the CM of Odisha for the first time on 5th of March, 2000. Led by him, the BJD won Odisha Assembly Polls in 2000, 2004, 2009, 2014, and 2019.