Odisha: Know who are in race for Cabinet berths in fresh reshuffle tomorrow

Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is all set to reshuffle his Council of Ministers on May 22 (Monday).

As per schedule, the swearing-in ceremony of the new ministers will be held at 9.30 am at Convention Centre of Lok Seva Bhavan in the capital city here.

The reshuffle in the Council of Ministers in Odisha is necessitated by to the resignation of two ministers recently.

Sources, meanwhile, claimed that Bhanjanagar MLA Bikram Keshari Arukha, Bangriposi MLA Sudam Marndi and Rourkela MLA Sarada Prasad Nayak are likely to be sworn in as new ministers tomorrow. These three leaders had earlier served as ministers in Naveen Patnaik Cabinet. Arukha has recently resigned from the post of Odisha Assembly Speaker.

“These three leaders are in the race for Cabinet berths in Odisha. But, the Chief Minister may spring a surprise and induct a few new faces into his Council of Ministers tomorrow,” said a political observer.

Notably, School and Mass Education Minister Samir Ranjan Dash and Labour Minister Srikanta Sahu had submitted their resignations to the Chief Minister a few days ago. Revenue Minister Pramila Mallick was given the additional charge of School and Mass Education and Labour departments by the Chief Minister.

The Chief Minister had earlier allocated the additional charge of Health and Family Welfare department to Finance Minister Niranjan Pujari following the murder of incumbent Naba Das on January 29.

It is worth mentioning here that Patnaik had revamped his Council of Ministers, first time in his fifth term in Odisha, in June last year. The reshuffle exercise was effected a day after all the 20 ministers tendered their resignations to the Chief Minister.

It is the first incident in the political history of Odisha when all ministers were asked to submit their resignation.