Bhubaneshwar, July 11 : Tribal leader and four-time MLA from Keonjhar Mohan Charan Majhi will be the new Chief Minister of Odisha, where the Bharatiya Janata Party has come to power for the first time, it was announced on Tuesday.

Following a meeting of newly elected BJP MLAs at the party headquarters here, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh declared that 52-year-old Majhi had been unanimously elected as the leader of the legislature party, paving the way for him to become the Chief Minister.

As Majhi's name was proposed for the Chief Minister's post, legislators Surama Padhi, Laxman Bag, Rabinarayan Nayak, and Prithiviraj Harichandan seconded the proposal while other MLAs showed their support.

"Delighted to announce that Shri Mohan Charan Manjhi has been elected unanimously as the leader of Odisha BJP Legislature Party. He is a young and dynamic party karyakarta who will take the state forward on road to progress and prosperity as the new Chief Minister of Odisha. Many congratulations to him," Rajnath Singh posted on X.

Majhi was first elected to the Odisha Assembly from Keonjhar in 2000, and has represented it since then, save between 2009-14, as the Biju Janata Dal of Naveen Patnaik repeatedly swept the state.

Starting his career as a teacher in Saraswati Sishu Mandir, managed by Vidya Bharati, the educational wing of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, Majhi later left the teaching profession for a formal political career as a sarpanch from 1997 to 2000.

Majhi has also served as the Secretary of the BJP's State Adivasi Morcha, the Deputy Chief Whip from 2005 to 2009 during the BJD-BJP coalition government. He also served as the Chief Whip of the party in the last Assembly.

The BJP has also announced the erstwhile Balangir royal family scion and Patnagarh MLA Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo and Nimapara MLA Pravati Parida as the new Deputy Chief Ministers.

"Also, it has been decided that two Deputy Chief Ministers will be designated to head the new State Government. Shri KV Singh Deo and Smt. Pravati Parida will serve the state as Deputy Chief Minister. Congratulations to them!" Rajnath Singh posted.

Following the declaration, Majhi paid his obeisance to Lord Jagannath. He thanked the 4.5 crore people of Odisha who brought the change in power in Odisha.

He also expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, central observers Rajnath Singh and Bhupender Yadav, and state BJP chief Manmohan Samal for ensuring the formation of the first BJP government in Odisha.

Six-time MLA and former minister Singh Deo said that the BJP government would take all the steps required to fulfil the promises made by the party during the election.

A delegation of BJP MLAs led by CM-designate Majhi, Union Ministers Rajnath Singh, Dharmendra Pradhan, and Ashwini Vaishnaw met Governor Raghubar Das and gave him the list of 78 BJP MLAs and the letters of support from three other independent MLAs.

Majhi, along with his council of ministers, are scheduled to take oath at Janata Maidan here on Wednesday at 4.45 p.m.

The state BJP chief has urged the people of Odisha to celebrate the swearing-in ceremony by lighting two earthen lamps at their respective houses on Wednesday

/IANS