Many strings attached: Messages in BJP picks for Odisha CM, Deputy CMs

As Odisha enters a new era of politics and governance after almost a quarter of a century under Naveen Patnaik, the BJP will look to meet the hopes and expectations of the people of a state that not only gave the party its first government in the East but also 20 MPs — four more than its largest NDA ally TDP — to the Narendra Modi government. And for the job, the party has picked Mohan Charan Majhi who will take oath as Chief Minister at a grand event in Bhubaneswar on Wednesday.

The announcement of the new CM took one week to come after the results of the simultaneous elections in the state, possibly an indication of the careful deliberations that must have gone into picking a leader who would not only shoulder the expectations of the people but be an effective component in the BJP’s larger double-engine mechanism.

Majhi fits the bill, almost.

A tribal leader, he is a four-time MLA with a 10-year break in between which perhaps gave him invaluable experience at the grassroots. Although known to be vocal about people’s issues, which at times put him in a confrontation with district authorities comfortable in a supposedly invincible BJD regime, Majhi’s asset is his acceptance in a faction-ridden state BJP unit. That acceptance, of course, will have its share of tugs and pulls for him to handle as the CM.

But the biggest challenge will be to step into the boots of a leader who led the state for 24 years before him. And meeting the expectations of a generation that was born and grew old enough to vote under a single regime. Comparisons will be drawn with Naveen Patnaik, the former CM and statesman whose exit has drawn more emotions than his campaign. And opinions will be unleashed.

For a state that once figured more in poverty