Five new Cabinet ministers in Naveen govt

Anjali Behera elevated to Cabinet rank

The first ever ministerial reshuffle effected by Naveen Patnaik in his third term as chief minister has witnessed induction of five new faces in the State Cabinet.

The Cabinet rejig also saw the elevation of Anjali Behera, minister of state (independent charge) for handloom & textiles to the Cabinet rank.

The five party MLAs who were given Cabinet berths include Lal Bihari Himirika, former deputy speaker of the state assembly, Pipili MLA Pradeep Maharathy, Puri MLA and former speaker of the state assembly Maheswar Mohanty, Chikiti legislator Usha Devi and Sonepur legislator Niranjan Pujari.

All these five Cabinet ministers were administered oath of office by the Orissa Governor Murlidhar Chandrakant Bhandare today at the Raj Bhavan. The reshuffle effectively puts an end to the intense speculation among the political and media circles that had continued for days together.

Maharathi who has been elected five times as an MLA has been inducted into the ministry for the first time. The Pipili MLA has spent over 30 years in active politics in the state.

Mohanty, who has been given a Cabinet berth, is a four-time MLA from Puri and was removed from the post of Speaker of the state assembly in a controversial manner three years back. On Monday evening, three incumbent ministers- Damodar Rout, minister for agriculture, cooperation and animal resources development & fisheries; Bijay Ranjan Singh Bariha, minister for SC & ST Development as well as minorities & backward classes welfare and Prabin Chandra Bhanjdeo, minister for sports & youth affairs had resigned from the ministry at the behest of the Chief Minister. While Rout and Bariha held Cabinet ranks, Bhanjdeo served as the minister of state.