Bhubaneswar: Odisha will soon have a new Lokayukta, Revenue Minister Suresh Pujari said on Tuesday, adding that the process for the appointment has already begun.

Pujari said a meeting regarding the appointment of the new Lokayukta has already been held and the financial process related to the appointment has also started. He expressed hope that the entire process would be completed soon.

Explaining the procedure, the minister said the selection of the Lokayukta is carried out under the constitutional provisions involving the Chief Minister, Speaker of the Odisha Legislative Assembly and the Leader of the Opposition.

"The first meeting has already been held. The decision is taken on the basis of majority. We hope Odisha will see a new Lokayukta in the coming days," Pujari said.

Responding to criticism from the Opposition over the alleged delay in appointing the Lokayukta, Pujari questioned whether two years could be considered a long period compared to the 24 years for which the previous government was in power.

"If the Opposition says there has been a delay, is 24 years a long period or two years?" Pujari said, adding that the two years since the previous government was voted out of power may appear long to the Opposition.

He further claimed that the present government has accomplished in two years what the previous government could not do during its 24-year tenure.

"What we will do in five years is something the Opposition may not have even imagined," Pujari said.