The ascent of Mohan Charan Majhi: The son of security guard who has become Odisha’s first BJP CM

Odisha now has a new chief minister.

Mohan Charan Majhi was sworn in today as the BJP’s first chief minister in Odisha.

Majhi took the oath of office at Bhubaneswar’s Janata Maidan today with a slew of dignitaries in attendance including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah.

Majhi earlier met ex-chief minister Naveen Patnaik and invited him to the swearing-in ceremony.

Majhi drove to Naveen Niwas, Patnaik’s residence in Bhubaneswar, and  formally extended the invite.

Patnaik last week resigned from the post of the chief minister after the defeat of his BJD in the Assembly elections. He ruled the state for 24 years.

Majhi’s name was announced on Tuesday by defence minister Rajnath Singh after the BJP legislative meet at the party’s state office in Bhubaneswar.

Rajnath, putting forward Majhi’s name, called him ‘young and dynamic.’

He predicted that Majhi would take Odisha on the path to progress and prosperity as its new chief minister.

Singh, a Central observer, was accompanied by Union minister Bhupender Yadav.

Prabhati Parida and KV Sing Deo were also sworn in as Odisha’s deputy chief ministers.

But who is the 53-year-old Majhi?

Let’s take a closer look:

As per News18, Majhi is a four-time MLA from Keonjhar.

Majhi hails from the tribal community.

He is known for his public service and organisational skills.

As per NDTV, Majhi was born in Keonjhar’s Raikala village.

His father was a security guard.

In 2024, Majhi was elected to the Assembly from the Keonjhar Assembly seat.

As per Times Now, Majhi won the seat by defeating the BJD’s Mina Majhi.

His margin of victory was  11,577 votes.

Majhi in 2019 was also elected to the Assembly from the Keonjhar constituency.

In 2014, Majhi lost to the BJD’s Abhiram Naik.

He previously represented Keonjhar twice between 2000 and 2009.

As per News18, Majhi, served as government Deputy Chief Whip from 2005 till 2009 when the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) led a coalition government with the BJP.

Prior to running for Assembly, Majhi was a sarpanch from 1997 to 2000.

He was also a member of Standing Committee of SC & ST under ORV Act.

“Mohan Charan Majhi is a strong and firebrand tribal leader from mineral-rich Kendujhar district,” senior journalist and political analyst Jatindra Dash told India Today.

Dash told the outlet that Majhi hails from a humble background.

A loyal member of the BJP, Majhi is thought to have strong links to the RSS.

The India Today piece noted that Majhi has become popular due to his for appealing to the masses.

“As a four-time MLA, he has a deep understanding of the state’s governance system and has been instrumental in shaping the BJP’s policies for the region,” the piece noted.

Majhi has also been the subject of some controversy.

In September 2023, Majhi, then the Opposition whip and BJP lawmaker Mukesh Mahaling were suspended from the Odisha Assembly till the end of session for throwing ‘daal’  at Speaker Pramila Mallik’s podium.

The BJP members were protesting the remark of a then BJD MLA who urged the Opposition members to come to the House with good “mental health.”

According to India Today, Majhi and Mahaling were protesting the the alleged Rs 700-crore scam in the purchase of pulses for the mid-day-meal scheme.

As per NDTV, Majhi has a law degree.

“Due to the blessings of Lord Jagannath, the BJP achieved a majority in Odisha and is going to form the government in the state. I would like to thank the 4.5 crore Odias who voted for change,” Majhi was quoted as saying by NDTV.

BJP stormed to power in Odisha by securing 78 of the 147 Assembly seats, while the BJD managed to win only 51 seats.

Congress bagged 14 constituencies and CPI (M) secured one, while three Independent candidates also emerged victorious.

Patnaik had taken the oath as the chief minister of Odisha on 5 March, 2000.

A five-member delegation led by the BJP Odisha unit president Manmohan Samal, went to Naveen Niwas, the residence of Patnaik, and formally invited him to attend the swearing-in ceremony to be held at 5 pm on Wednesday.

Senior leaders such as Suresh Pujari, Basanta Panda, Samir Mohanty and Nityananda Gond accompanied Samal.

“Naveen Babu has accepted the invitation and assured us that he would attend the ceremony,” Samal told reporters.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to arrive in Bhubaneswar at 2.30 pm on Wednesday and proceed to Raj Bhavan from the airport, according to BJP sources.

With inputs from agencies