Naveen Patnaik not to attend Modi's swearing-in ceremony

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik will not attend the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi on Thursday, officials said.

The newly elected members of the 16th Vidhan Sabha (Assembly) will take oath tomorrow. As leader of the House, the chief minister will be present during the occasion. So, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik will not be able to visit Delhi tomorrow to attend the swearing-in ceremony of the prime minister and his council of ministers, an official communication issued by the Chief Minister's Office said Wednesday.

"The Chief Minister has conveyed his good wishes to the Prime Minister and his council of ministers," it added.

Patnaik, who is also the president of the ruling BJD, took oath of office as the chief minister of Odisha for the fifth time in a row Wednesday. His party has been elected to power with massive majority of 112 seats in the 147-member Odisha Assembly.

Though Patnaik's swearing-in was attended by many Congress leaders, former Odisha chief minister Giridhar Gamang was the lone BJP leader seen at the function.

The state government had invited Modi, union minister Dharmendra Pradhan and all the newly elected BJP MLAs and MPs of the state to the ceremony, officials said.