Hopefuls like Juel Oram, Basant Panda and Nayan Mohanty had to be disappointed, as Kanak Vardhan Singhdeo has been appointed as the new President of the BJP State Unit in Odisha. KV’s appointment was confirmed through a fax sent by BJP President Rajnath Singh.

KV Singhdeo, who is also the Leader of BJP in Odisha State Assembly, will hold the post for three years. He also has the backing of BJP General Secretary Dharmendra Pradhan, who hails from Odisha. He is a four-time MLA from Patnagarh Assembly segment in Balangir.

KV’s appointment came as a big relief for the faction-ridden BJP in Odisha, which has been on a decline after Naveen Patnaik’s BJD “dumped” it in 2009. Although it is believed that KV Singhdeo may help in reuniting the BJD and BJP in Odisha, he has ruled out any alliance with either BJD or Pyari’s OJM in near future.