Odisha Governor Ganeshi Lal has invited Naveen Patnaik to form the next government in the state after the BJD president staked a claim on Sunday. The BJD won 112 of the 146 assembly seats in the recently concluded assembly polls. "After being satisfied that BJD commands a majority, the Hon'ble Governor extended the invitation to Naveen Patnaik to form the new government," a Raj Bhavan spokesperson said.
Patnaik called on the Governor after he was elected as the leader of BJD's legislature party for the fifth time in a row and furnished the list of 112 elected party MLAs, official sources said.
Bhubaneswar: Odisha CM & BJD chief Naveen Patnaik met Governor Prof Ganeshi Lal today and conveyed to him that he has been elected as the leader of BJD legislative party. The Governor has extended invitation to Naveen Patnaik to form the government in the state. pic.twitter.com/L78oFhLcyI
— ANI (@ANI) May 26, 2019
The elections were a mixed bag for Patnaik as he managed to return to power in the state but saw the Bharatiya Janata Party make inroads in the state. The Biju Janata Dal won 112 of 146 Assembly seats while bagging only 12 Lok Sabha constituencies, down from 20 in the 2014 General Elections.
The saffron party won 12 seats, up from one in 2014, and saw its tally in the Assembly rise to 23, an increase of 13 constituencies. Patnaik, who led the party to an emphatic victory in the Odisha assembly elections, is scheduled to be sworn in as the chief minister for a record fifth consecutive term on May 29. The state has 147 assembly segments but polling in Patkura was postponed twice following the death of a candidate and then due to cyclone Fani.
