Three officials in Odisha Chief Minister’s office resigned on Thursday indicating a shift in the state bureaucracy. This development follows the Biju Janata Dal’s (BJD) defeat in the assembly election ending Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s 24-year tenure.
Retired IAS officers Suresh Chandra Mahapatra (Retd.IAS:1984:OD) and R Balakrishnan (Retd.IAS:1986:OD) resigned from their positions as chief advisors in the CMO. Mahapatra served as the chief advisor in the CMO, and Balakrishnan was the chief advisor for special initiatives. Their resignations were accepted on June 5.
These chief advisor roles were political appointments. Sources indicate that the CMO is expected to undergo significant changes once the BJP government formally takes over in the state.
Additionally, Manoj Kumar Mishra (IRTS:2000), principal secretary in the Electronics and IT department also resigned on Thursday effective from June 4. Mishra had been appointed on a contractual basis by the BJD government in 2022, after resigning from IRTS while on deputation to the state.
