TRIBAL STRATEGY

The BJP's first government in Odisha marks a turning point in the state's political history

- LALIT PATTAJOSHI

Caste does not matter much in Odisha politics. But it seems the BJP is up to experimenting with it, as it chose a tribal face as its first chief minister in the state over more familiar names—Mohan Charan Majhi, a four-time legislator from Keonjhar district, who belongs to the Santhal tribe, like the president of India, Droupadi Murmu. Tribals constitute almost a quarter of the state’s population. Majhi, 52, is the third tribal chief minister in the state—Congressmen Hemananda Biswal and Giridhar Gamang had short tenures in the 1990s.

A law graduate, Majhi started his career as a school teacher in Saraswati Shishu Mandir in Jhumpura and had an inclination to the RSS ideology since his student days. He started his political career as a sarpanch, and was first elected to the assembly from Keonjhar in 2000. He is close to Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who is said to have played an important role in his elevation to the top post.