After the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) gave a historical overturn to Odisha’s political arena by securing 78 seats out of a total of 147, it uprooted the 24-year-old regime of Naveen Patnaik’s Biju Janta Dal (BJD). Patnaik has submitted his resignation papers to the Odisha governor and has stepped down from the Chief Minister’s post.
All eyes are now on the BJP as the public awaits the announcement of Odisha’s first BJP Chief Minister. Here are the top 5 contenders in the race:
Jarul Oram
Jual Oram is a seasoned politician with a rich background in public service. At 63, Oram stands out as a five-time Member of Parliament (MP) and a one-time Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA). He is among the earliest members of the BJP in Odisha, hailing from a poor tribal family in Sundargarh.
His significant political milestone came in October 1999, when he was appointed as the first Union Tribal Affairs Minister under Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
Dharmendra Pradhan
Considered a top contender due to his administrative experience, Dharmendra Pradhan is an MP from the sambal seat and has held the position of Union Education Minister. Pradhan held the charge of the BJP's campaign for Odia pride (Odia Asmita).
He was elected as an MLA in 2000, after which began Pradhan’s political journey. In 2004, he won a seat in the Lok Sabha, representing Deogarh in Odisha. However, in 2009, he was defeated in the Pallahara assembly seat. Pradhan has also served as the election in-charge in Bihar and overseen party affairs in Karnataka, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, and Odisha.
Sambit Patra
Sambit Patra, the BJP's national spokesperson, has a knack for remaining in the headlines and voicing the party’s ideologies boldly. He is the newly elected MP from Puri. Before his political career, Patra worked as a doctor at Delhi’s Hindu Rao Hospital.
His entry into politics was marked by his role as the spokesman for the Delhi BJP in 2012, and although he lost the municipal council election in Delhi, he gained prominence with the support of then Union Minister Arun Jaitley. Recently, during the 2024 elections campaign, Patra faced significant backlash over a gaffe on Lord Jagannath.
Baijayant Panda
Baijayant Panda, the BJP's national vice president, is another eminent candidate. Panda’s political career includes being a one-time Rajya Sabha MP and a two-time Lok Sabha MP from the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) before joining the BJP six years ago.
In the 2019 elections, he lost the Kendrapara Lok Sabha seat but made a comeback in the 2024 polls, defeating BJD's Anshuman Mohanty by a significant margin.
Girish Chandra Murmu
Girish Chandra Murmu is a retired 1985 batch IAS officer of the Gujarat cadre and is currently serving as the external auditor of the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Originating from Betnoti in Mayurbhanj district, Murmu's career includes roles such as Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India and the lieutenant governor of Jammu and Kashmir. He also served as the principal secretary in Modi’s Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) and held several important positions in the central government.
