On Monday, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik conducted a minor reshuffle in his cabinet by adding three new ministers. Senior MLAs Bikram Keshari Arukha, Sarada Prasad Nayak, and Sudam Marndi were sworn in as new ministers in Odisha. This reshuffle was prompted by recent events that led to the resignation of two ministers and the assassination of another.
Former Odisha Health Minister Naba Kishore Das, who was a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) from Jharsuguda, was tragically shot and killed on January 29 of this year. Subsequently, on May 12, Minister of School and Mass Education Ranjan Dash and Minister of Labour and Employees’ State Insurance Srikanta Sahu resigned from their positions. The resignation of the Odisha Assembly Speaker Bikram Keshari Arukha further reduced the cabinet’s strength, leaving it three ministers short of the full capacity of 22.
This minor reshuffle occurred approximately a year after Chief Minister Patnaik carried out a major cabinet reshuffle in June 2022, in which the entire cabinet was overhauled. With the induction of the three new ministers, CM Naveen Patnaik’s government aims to ensure the smooth functioning and effectiveness of the cabinet.