BJP Invites Lord Jagannath, Naveen Patnaik To Odisha Swearing-In

The BJP, all set to form its maiden government in Odisha, has invited BJD chief and outgoing Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to the swearing-in ceremony on June 12.

The first invite for the ceremony was given to Lord Jagannath in Puri and was delivered to the 12th-century shrine by a few of the newly elected MLAs.

A five-member delegation led by the BJP's Odisha unit chief Manmohan Samal, went to Naveen Niwas - Mr Patnaik's home, and formally invited him to attend the swearing-in at 5 pm tomorrow.

Senior leaders such as Suresh Pujari, Basanta Panda, Samir Mohanty, and Nityananda Gond accompanied Mr Samal.

"Naveen Babu has accepted the invite and assured us that he would attend the ceremony," Mr Samal told reporters.

Meanwhile, a group of MLA-elects comprising Pravati Parida, Prithviraj Harichandan, Irashish Acharya, and Ashrit Patnaik went to the Jagannath temple with an invite, two coconuts, betel nuts, and rice on a thali to invite Lord Jagannath to the ceremony.

"It is Odia tradition to invite Lord Jagannath to all auspicious occasions. Therefore, we have come to invite Him. The party seeks his blessings," Ms Parida said.

The BJP state chief said the party would also invite the president of the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) and other political parties to the ceremony.

This apart, Mr Samal said all the people who have earned fame for the state will also be invited.

Preparations are in the final stage at the Janata Maidan park, the venue for the oath ceremony. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, central ministers, and Chief Ministers of many BJP-ruled states are likely to attend.

Union ministers Rajnath Singh and Bhupender Yadav are in Bhubaneswar to attend the BJP's legislature party meeting as Observers to elect the next Chief Minister, paving the way for the formation of the first-ever government of the party in the state.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)