BJD defeat prompts resignations: Chief Advisors step down
Bhubaneswar, (Orissa Today), June 6: Following the Biju Janata Dal’s (BJD) defeat in the Assembly elections, party leader Naveen Patnaik resigned from his position as Chief Minister.
Similarly, two retired IAS officers, Suresh Chandra Mahapatra and R Balakrishnan, stepped down from their roles as Chief Advisors. Mahapatra served as the Chief Advisor to the Chief Minister’s Office, while Balakrishnan held the position of Chief Advisor for Special Initiatives.
The resignations of these key bureaucrats were confirmed through office orders issued by the General Administration and Public Grievance Department, dated June 5.
After the election results were announced on June 4, Naveen Patnaik tendered his resignation as Chief Minister to Governor Raghubar Das, as per the protocol. The Governor requested Patnaik to continue as the caretaker Chief Minister until the new government is sworn in.
Notably, the BJD suffered a defeat at the hands of the BJP, which secured 78 seats out of the 147-member state Assembly. BJD managed to secure 51 seats, while the Congress won 14 seats.
