Bhubaneshwar, May 20: The Biju Janata Dal leader and Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik will take the oath of office at 11.30 a. m on Thursday marking his third inning as CM.

"I have been invited to form the government by Governor M C Bhandare," Patnaik, who called on the governor at the Raj Bhavan on Wednesday.

Patnaik held discussion with the Governor Bhandare for about 25 minutes.

In the recently held State and Lok Sabha elections, the Naveen Patnaik-led BJD registered a thumping victory. In the State Assembly elections, it won 103 of the 147 seats.

However, in the Lok Sabha elections which the BJD contested without its former alliance partner BJP for over a decade, the party won
14 of the 21 Lok Sabha seats in the state. (ANI)