Bhubaneswar:  Odisha Governor Ganeshi Lal today accepted the resignation of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and his council of Ministers in order to enable the formation of a new Council of Ministers.

The Governor has requested Naveen and his present council of ministers to continue in office till the new council of ministers is sworn, a spokesperson for the Governor said here this evening.

Naveen, who is the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) President, is set to become the Chief Minister for the fifth consecutive term with his party sweeping the Assembly battle.

It’s being widely speculated that the new government under Naveen may be sworn-in on May 29.

Out of 146 Assembly seats went for polls, BJD got 112 seats while BJP bagged 23 and Congress secured nine seats. Communist Party of India-Marxist got one and an Independent candidate won one.

Naveen won both the Assembly seats — his traditional Hinjili seat in Ganjam and Bijepur in western Odisha — he contested.

With this, the 72-year-old leader will also become the third Chief Minister in the country, after former West Bengal Chief Minister Jyoti Basu and Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling, to get five consecutive terms.