‘Oh, you defeated me,’ Naveen tells Bag

Bhubaneswar : The BJD president and former Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday greeted newly elected first-time BJP MLA Laxman Bag, who defeated him in the recently concluded Assembly polls from Kantabanji seat in Bolangir district.

Patnaik, known for his composed demeanour, was making his way through the House after taking the oath as a member of the Assembly when he came face-to-face with Bag, who stood up from his seat.

"How are you?" Bag enquired with folded hands. As Bag introduced himself, Patnaik responded, "Oh, you defeated me."  Accompanied by Aul MLA and former minister Pratap Keshari Deb, Patnaik congratulated Bag.

The entire House including Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and his deputies - K V Singh Deo and Prabhati Parida - also stood up from their seats to greet Patnaik in the Assembly, where he was an undisputed leader for 24 years.