Bhubaneswar, June 6: In a major development, two retired IAS officers- Suresh Chandra Mahapatra  and  R. Balakrishnan- resigned from their respective posts in the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) in Odisha on Thursday.

The development came a day after CM Naveen Patnaik tendered his resignation to Governor Raghubar Das following his party- BJD' s defeat in the recently held Assembly elections.  

According to sources, Suresh Chandra Mahapatra, a 1986-batch retired IAS officer, tendered his resignation from the post of the Chief Adviser to the CMO.    

Similarly, Chief Advisor to the CMO and Chief Advisor (Special Initiatives) Government of Odisha, R. Balakrishnan, a 1984-batch IAS officer, resigned today.

Notably, BJD president Naveen Patnaik will leave the CM's chair after 24 years of his rule following his party's defeat at the hands of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The BJD managed to secure only 51 seats this time as compared to the 112 seats it got in the 2019 Assembly polls.

On the other hand, the BJP wrested the power from BJD by winning 78 seats out of the 147-member Assembly.

Read More Odisha News