Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Friday, 19 June 2026 extended a warm welcome to President Draupadi Murmu as she arrived in Odisha to attend the state government's two-year service and good-governance celebration, marking the completion of two years of the BJP-led administration.

Writing in Odia on X, Chief Minister Majhi described the President's visit as a moment of immense pride and honour for the saade char koti Odia (four and a half crore people of Odisha). He posted: 'Our daughter of Odisha's soil, honourable President of the country Smt. Draupadi Murmu, is heartily welcomed to Odisha. Her arrival to participate in the two-year completion ceremony of our government's service and good governance is a moment of great pride and glory for 4.5 crore Odias. Her guidance will inspire us further to build a prosperous state.'

Context

The event marks two years since the BJP formed its first-ever government in Odisha following the June 2024 assembly elections, ending 24 years of Biju Janata Dal rule in the state. The occasion, hashtagged #2YearsofLokankaSarakar ('People's Government') and #BikasharaDharaOdishaSara ('Stream of Development for All of Odisha'), signals the party's intent to project its governance record as a model of inclusive administration.

President Draupadi Murmu, who has served as President of India since July 2022, is herself a daughter of Odisha — born in Mayurbhanj district and the first person from the state's tribal community to hold the country's highest constitutional office. Her presence at the event carries significant symbolic weight for both the state and its large tribal population.

Policy Backdrop

The BJP's victory in Odisha in 2024 was a landmark shift in eastern Indian politics, breaking the long dominance of the regional Biju Janata Dal under former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. Chief Minister Majhi, who assumed office in June 2024, has consistently invoked themes of sushasan (good governance) and development as the twin pillars of his administration's identity.

The two-year milestone event is positioned as an opportunity to take stock of the government's policy delivery and to announce the direction of its agenda going forward. The hashtag campaign underlines an effort to anchor the government's image around grassroots development and people-centric governance.

Stakeholders and Impact

For Odisha's tribal communities, President Murmu's visit holds particular resonance. As the first tribal President of India and a native of Odisha, her association with the state's governance milestone reinforces a narrative of recognition and representation for communities historically at the margins of political power.

The broader 4.5 crore people of Odisha, as cited by the Chief Minister, stand as the primary audience for this event. The state government is expected to use the occasion to highlight welfare schemes, infrastructure projects, and social programmes delivered over the past two years.

What's Next

Details of any new schemes, project launches, or policy announcements made during the two-year celebration are awaited. The event is likely to set the tone for the BJP government's priorities heading into the second half of its five-year term in Odisha. Chief Minister Majhi's invocation of President Murmu's 'guidance' suggests the administration will continue to align its development messaging with the broader national narrative of inclusive and tribal-sensitive governance.