7 BJD Ministers resigned, Naveen to reshuffle his cabinet tomorrow

Bhubaneswar: A day after Odisha Assembly Speaker Niranjan Pujari resigned from the post, at least seven council of ministers of Naveen Patnaik government today tendered their resignation paving the way for a major reshuffle of the cabinet tomorrow.

Party sources said, Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister Sanjay Kumar Das Burma, Higher Education Minister Pradip Kumar Panigrahi, Panchayati Raj Minister Arun Sahu, Energy Minister Pranab Prakash Das, Urban Development Minister Puspendra Singh Deo, SC and ST Development Minister Lal Bihari Himrika and Sports and youth AffaIrs Minister Sudam Marandi have already tendered their resignations ahead of the cabinet reshuffle.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has asked his ministerial colleagues over phone to tender their resignation by 1600hrs today to enable him to reshuffle his ministry tomorrow before leaving for New Delhi in the evening. MSME Minister Yogendra Behera said, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had telephoned him this morning and asked him to tender resignation from the ministry. As many as ten of the 20 council of ministers are likely to be replaced in the cabinet reshuffle, most likely to be held tomorrow.

This would be first major reshuffle of the Naveen Patnaik government after he came to power for the fourth time in a row in 2014 Assembly elections. The Chief Minister had recently indicated about his mind to reshuffle his cabinet after three years stating that some ministers have expressed their willingness to work for the party in their constituency to strengthen the party at the grassroot level. Yesterday Odisha Assembly Speaker Niranjan Pujari had tendered his resignation to Deputy Speaker Sanand Marandi but did not assign the reason for his resignation from the post, he however, later told newsmen that he would like to concentrate on the party work in his constituency.

However, political observers felt that Mr Pujari is all likely to be inducted in the cabinet in the major reshuffle of the cabinet which is all likely to take place tomorrow. The Chief Minister had yesterday appointed at least five ministers to look after the party organisational work, four of whom have already tendered their resignation today. (UNI)