Odisha’s longest-serving chief minister Naveen Patnaik, with a 24-year-long stint at the helm of governance, has been accorded Y-plus security cover as he holds the constitutional post of Leader of Opposition in the Assembly.

Chief Minister Mohan Majhi said this in the Assembly while responding to a written query by Congress MLA Pabitra Saunta.

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It may be recalled that the security cover of the state’s five-time former chief minister, Patnaik, who was unseated from power in June and is currently the leader of the opposition, was downgraded from Z to Y category by the BJP government. The downgrading triggered controversy.

Later, Patnaik’s security arrangement was revised from Y to Y-plus category following a review by the state-level security committee for VIPs.

Under the Y-plus security arrangement, 21 armed police personnel, including 2 personal security officers (PSOs), have been deployed for Patnaik’s security.