Bhubaneshwar, May 21 : Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leader Naveen Patnaik was sworn in as Chief Minister of Orissa on Thursday for the third consecutive term.

State Governor M C Bhandare administered the oath of office and secrecy to Patnaik at Raj Bhavan.

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)