Who is Girish Chandra Murmu? Name Floated In BJP Circles For Next Odisha CM

With the BJP set to form its first-ever solo government in Odisha, there is much buzz going around regarding the party’s chief ministerial pick. Two days before the new state government takes oath on Wednesday, there is strong speculation that the BJP’s top picks for the post include G.C. Murmu, the current Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India, as CM.

A retired IAS officer of the 1985 batch and Gujarat cadre, Girish Chandra Murmu was born in Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district on 21 November 1959. He holds a postgraduate degree in political science from Odisha’s Utkal University, and an MBA from the University of Birmingham, UK.

His professional highlights include serving as the first Lieutenant-Governor of Jammu and Kashmir after its recategorisation as a Union territory in 2019, following the abrogation of Article 370.

His appointment to the post became a matter of pride for Betnoti, the small Odisha town where he hails from, News18 reported at the time. “A tribal boy got such a major opportunity to serve the people. Shall I not be happy?” his mother Parbati Murmu was quoted as saying in the report.

Murmu, the report said, was the second tribal person in Odisha to rise to a gubernatorial position after President Droupadi Murmu, who became the Jharkhand governor in 2015.

A Distinguished Career

Murmu is the eldest among eight siblings. His father, the News18 report said, worked as a station manager with the Indian Railways, while his mother retired as a postmaster.

He is married to Dr Smita Murmu, and has two children: Daughter Ruchika and son Ruhaan.

According to Murmu’s profile on the CAG website, he likes to spend his free time listening to Indian classical/Sufi music, and dabbles in amateur photography and sketching/painting as well. He also follows his routine gym regimen, the profile adds.

Murmu, known to have vast experience in the fields of administration, economics and infrastructure, has been CAG since August 8, 2020. Earlier roles include serving as the secretary of the department of expenditure, and as special and additional secretary in the department of financial services and department of revenue. Earlier, he served as principal secretary in the Gujarat Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) when PM Narendra Modi was leading the state. 

In 2023, as India’s CAG, he was re-elected with an overwhelming majority as the external auditor of the World Health Organization (WHO) from 2024 to 2027. CAG has held the position since 2019. 

Earlier the same year, he was selected for the post of external auditor (2024-2027) with the International Labour Organization (ILO), another United Nations agency.