Pinaki Misra, Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MP from Puri has been appointed as BJD's Parliamentary Party Leader, while Kandhamal MP Dr Achyuta Samanta as Chief Whip and Kendrapara MP Anubhav Mohanty as Deputy Chief Whip.
In the Lok Sabha polls, the BJD won 12 seats, BJP 8 and Congress one.
BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra lost from Puri parliamentary constituency to BJD's Pinaki Mishra by a margin of 11,700 votes. It is worth noting that even during the 2009 and 2014 elections, Mishra had won Puri seat.
While in the State Assembly elections, BJD once again established its political supremacy by winning 112 Assembly seats in 146-member House.