Bhubaneswar: Appointment of the state’s next Lokayukta has turned into a fresh political debate with the ruling BJP claiming the selection process is underway and opposition BJD accusing it of misleading the public over a two-year delay in filling the anti-corruption top post.Revenue and disaster management minister Suresh Pujari on Tuesday said the process for appointing a new Lokayukta had begun and that the first meeting of the statutory selection committee had already been held. “The committee comprising the chief minister, speaker of the assembly and leader of opposition would take the final decision through a majority-based mechanism of the three,” Pujari said.The BJD, however, launched a sharp attack, accusing the minister of telling blatant lies to deflect attention from BJP govt’s failure to fill the post. The opposition claimed the tenure of the previous Lokayukta ended in March 2024, while the terms of two members ended in Aug that year, leaving the responsibility of appointing successors to the BJP govt. The party alleged that despite repeated demands, the govt allowed the post to remain vacant for nearly two years.The BJD also cited proceedings in Odisha high court, claiming that the govt initiated the selection process only after judicial intervention. The HC, while hearing a PIL, had on multiple occasions in Sept and Dec 2025, and Jan 2026 directed the state to expedite the appointment process, it said.Pujari hit back, saying the opposition did not see a delay of 24 years. “They only see a delay of two years, but when it came to them, it took them 24 years to appoint a Lokayukta. With the way they are feeling restless after being out of power, two years must feel like two centuries to them,” Pujari said.He added that what the BJD-led govt in the state could not do in 24 years, this govt has done in two years.At a presser on Tuesday, BJD spokesperson Lenin Mohanty said the minister was attempting to draw a comparison with the period before the Lokayukta law existed in Odisha.According to him, Odisha was the first state in the country to pass a Lokayukta Bill after the enactment of the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013. The state legislature passed the Lokayukta Bill in 2014, and it became operational with the appointment of a Lokayukta in 2018 after completion of necessary procedures, the party said.
