Odisha: Security beefed up ahead of swearing-in of new state Chief Minister; Modi, Shah to attend event

Jun 08, 2024

Bhubaneshwar (Odisha) [India], June 8 : Ahead of the swearing-in ceremony of the new Odisha Chief Minister, which is to be held on June 10, security arrangements in the state have been beefed up.
Prime Minister-designate Narendra Modi and BJP leader Amit Shah will also take part in the event.
"The PM is coming for the oath-taking ceremony. So, we are making arrangements. The Special Protection Group team has already arrived. We are deploying a sufficient number of forces. We are expecting many VIPs, CMs, MoS, and other VIPs to attend the function. So accordingly, we will be making security arrangements," said Arun Kumar Sarangi, Director General of Police (DGP), Odisha.
"There will be arrangements for a traffic diversion plan... We are hopeful that everything will pass smoothly. We have not received any confirmation from any state government. But we are expecting that by this evening, we will be receiving confirmation from various governments about the participation of the CMs," he added.
Meanwhile, preparations are in full swing at Janata Maidan in Bhubaneshwar for the swearing-in ceremony of the new Odisha Chief Minister on June 10. Approximately 30,000 people are expected to attend the ceremony.
After suffering a significant defeat in the State Assembly and Parliamentary elections, the 24-year tenure of BJD chief Naveen Patnaik as Chief Minister of Odisha concluded. He submitted his resignation to Odisha Governor Raghubar Das at the Raj Bhavan in Bhubaneswar on Wednesday.
The Bharatiya Janata Party secured 78 seats in the 147-seat assembly, surpassing the majority mark of 74, while the BJD secured 51 seats. In the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP performed well by securing 20 out of the 21 parliamentary seats in the state, with the remaining one seat won by the Congress.
In the meantime, Narendra Modi is all set to take the oath as Prime Minister for a third consecutive term tomorrow. The mega event will see the presence of dignitaries from across the world.
Security has been tightened in the national capital ahead of the mega event.
The security measures follow the formal appointment of Narendra Modi as Prime Minister by the President of India on Friday.
The letters of support from NDA constituent parties were also given to the President.
According to the Election Commission of India, the BJP won 240 seats, much lower than its 2019 tally of 303.
The Congress, on the other hand, registered a strong improvement, winning 99 seats. While the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance won 292 seats, the INDIA bloc crossed the 230 mark, posing stiff competition, and defying all predictions.