New govt formation process begins

Bhubaneswar: The process of the formation of a new government in Odisha began on Thursday with election officials presenting the gazette notification declaring the poll results to Governor Raghubar Das at Raj Bhavan here.

Odisha’s Chief Electoral Officer Nikunja Bihari Dhal presented the gazette notification to the Governor. The notification was regarding the election of new members of the next Assembly and it will pave the way for the formation of the House, he said. The Governor’s secretariat has intimated it to the State Parliamentary department.

The CEO was accompanied by representatives of the Election Commission of India (ECI) and other senior officials. The ECI notification and Odisha gazette notification regarding the newly elected MLAs were handed over to the Governor. The Governor congratulated the ECI, the CEO and the entire election machinery in the State for conducting free, fair and peaceful elections. The development came after BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik resigned as the chief minister of Odisha, ending his 24-year rule.

The BJP crossed the majority mark in the 147-member Assembly, winning 78 seats, while the BJD bagged 51 and the Congress 14 seats. One CPI (M) candidate and three Independent nominees also emerged victorious.