Bhubaneswar: A delegation of Odisha BJP led by party’s state unit president Manmohan Samal on Tuesday invited BJD president Naveen Patnaik for the swearing-in ceremony of the first BJP government in the state scheduled for June 12.
Samal along with Suresh Pujari, Basanta Panda, Samir Mohanty and Nityananda Gond, drove into Naveen Niwas to invite the outgoing CM this afternoon. Later speaking to media, Samal said Naveen accepted the invite and assured them that he would attend the ceremony.
“We are also trying to contact the state Congress president and other senior leaders will also be invited to the event. Invites have also been sent out to 100 Odisha-cadre IAS officers in Delhi, Odias holding top positions, including RBI governor, LIC chairperson, AIIMS-Bhubaneswar director, and other eminent personalities,” he said.
He added that the BJP will run its government in the state by taking the opposition into confidence. BJP national observer for Odisha, Vijaypal Singh Tomar, had earlier stated that the party state unit chief will personally invite Naveen for the event.
The party, which had made Odia Asmita its main poll planks, also offered the swearing-in invite to the sibling deities at Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri.
Meanwhile, preparations are in the final stage at the Janata Maidan, the venue for the oath-taking ceremony which will also be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, central ministers and chief ministers of many BJP-ruled states.