Bhubaneswar:
Marking the end of his 24-year-rule in Odisha, BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik today resigned from the post of the chief minister after the defeat of his party in the assembly elections in the state.
Naveen Patnaik handed over his resignation letter to Governor Raghubar Das at the Raj Bhavan.
Though a number of BJD leaders had gathered at Mr Patnaik’s residence, he came alone to the governor’s house to submit his resignation.
The BJD chief only waved at waiting journalists and left the premises after submitting his resignation letter.
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. The results were announced on Tuesday.
Naveen Patnaik had for the first time taken oath as the chief minister of Odisha on March 5, 2000.
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