The Bharatiya Janata Party, all set to form its maiden government in Odisha, on Tuesday invited Biju Janata Dal president and outgoing chief minister Naveen Patnaik for the swearing-in ceremony scheduled on June 12.
The first invitation card for the ceremony was, however, given to Lord Jagannath in Puri, and it was delivered at the 12th-century shrine by some newly elected MLAs.
A five-member delegation led by the BJP Odisha unit president Manmohan Samal, went to Naveen Niwas, the residence of Patnaik, and formally invited him to attend the swearing-in ceremony to be held at 5 pm on Wednesday.
Senior leaders such as Suresh Pujari, Basanta Panda, Samir Mohanty and Nityananda Gond accompanied Samal.
"Naveen Babu has accepted the invitation and assured us that he would attend the ceremony," Samal told reporters. -- PTI