<p>The Biju Janata Dal(BJD) President, Naveen Patnaik was on Wednesday sworn in as the state chief minister for a fifth consecutive term. Along with Patnaik, 20 others - eleven cabinet ministers and nine in the rank of minister of state - were also administered the oath of office and secrecy by Governor Ganeshi Lal at a function held in the Exhibition Ground in the capital city here.</p>.<p>In Patnaik’s 21-member new team, ten are fresh faces which constitute fifty per cent of the council of ministers. The new faces include two women – Tukuni Sahu and Padmini Dian. While Sahu, a two-time MLA from Titlagarh in western Odisha's Bolangir district, has been included as a cabinet minister; Dian, who was elected to the state assembly for the first time from Kotpad in southern Odisha's tribal-dominated district of Koraput, has been accommodated as a minister of state.</p>.<p>Among the new cabinet ministers, an interesting name is Naba Kishore Das, a two-time MLA from Jharsuguda in western Odisha. He had left the Congress and joined the BJD on the eve of the twin elections held in the state last month. His desertion had inflicted a massive blow to the state Congress as he was not only a sitting MLA but was functioning as one of the three acting presidents of the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC).</p>.<p>Seven members of the new council of ministers were part of Patnaik’s previous ministerial team. One among them, Sushant Singh, has been elevated from a minister of state to the rank of a cabinet minister.</p>.<p>Eight members of Patnaik’s previous council of ministers have not found a place in his new team despite their election to the new assembly. It included Sashi Bhusan Behera who was in charge of the important finance ministry.</p>.<p>Among the invitees who attended the swearing in ceremony were Patnaik’s elder sister, writer Geeta Mehta and elder brother businessman, Prem Patnaik. Both stay outside the state. </p>
<p>The Biju Janata Dal(BJD) President, Naveen Patnaik was on Wednesday sworn in as the state chief minister for a fifth consecutive term. Along with Patnaik, 20 others - eleven cabinet ministers and nine in the rank of minister of state - were also administered the oath of office and secrecy by Governor Ganeshi Lal at a function held in the Exhibition Ground in the capital city here.</p>.<p>In Patnaik’s 21-member new team, ten are fresh faces which constitute fifty per cent of the council of ministers. The new faces include two women – Tukuni Sahu and Padmini Dian. While Sahu, a two-time MLA from Titlagarh in western Odisha's Bolangir district, has been included as a cabinet minister; Dian, who was elected to the state assembly for the first time from Kotpad in southern Odisha's tribal-dominated district of Koraput, has been accommodated as a minister of state.</p>.<p>Among the new cabinet ministers, an interesting name is Naba Kishore Das, a two-time MLA from Jharsuguda in western Odisha. He had left the Congress and joined the BJD on the eve of the twin elections held in the state last month. His desertion had inflicted a massive blow to the state Congress as he was not only a sitting MLA but was functioning as one of the three acting presidents of the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC).</p>.<p>Seven members of the new council of ministers were part of Patnaik’s previous ministerial team. One among them, Sushant Singh, has been elevated from a minister of state to the rank of a cabinet minister.</p>.<p>Eight members of Patnaik’s previous council of ministers have not found a place in his new team despite their election to the new assembly. It included Sashi Bhusan Behera who was in charge of the important finance ministry.</p>.<p>Among the invitees who attended the swearing in ceremony were Patnaik’s elder sister, writer Geeta Mehta and elder brother businessman, Prem Patnaik. Both stay outside the state. </p>
