Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik to reshuffle council of ministers on Monday

BHUBANESWAR: Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik is scheduled to reshuffle his council of ministers on Monday, precisely a week before he completes four years of his current term on May 29.
Sources said Naveen will induct three new ministers to fill up three vacancies, one arising out of murder of then minister Naba Kisore Das on January 29 and two following resignations of Samir Ranjan Dash and Srikanta Sahu earlier this month.
Governor Ganeshi Lal, currently in Haryana, will return on Sunday evening. The reshuffle will be held at the Lok Seva Bhawan convention hall, a senior government officer said.
Bikram Keshari Arukha, former minister and six-time MLA representing Bhanjanagar who resigned as speaker of the Odisha Legislative Assembly on May 12, will most likely re-enter the cabinet as Naveen plans to bolster party apparatus in his home district Ganjam. After Srikanta, who represents Polasara assembly seat in Ganjam district, was asked to resign, the council has only another minister (Usha Devi) from Ganjam district now.
Sources said another MLA from western Odisha will be taken in the council as part of regional balancing act. Since the BJP had won all the five Lok Sabha seats in western Odisha (Bargarh, Balangir, Kalahandi, Sambalpur and Sundargarh) in 2019, the Naveen dispensation has been giving extra importance to the region to do well in simultaneous Lok Sabha and state assembly election in 2024.
The third minister may be from coastal Odisha, either from Cuttack or Khurda district.
The government will name a new speaker in place of Arukha. Sources said the government is mulling to name a woman MLA as speaker aiming to convey a strong message regarding its unwavering dedication to women's empowerment though there are many contenders for the post.
After taking the new ministers, Naveen is likely to redistribute portfolios by changing departments for most of the ministers in the 22-member council. The reshuffle coincides with the starting of a review of the performance of the various departments on Monday.