- By Vivek Raj
- Wed, 05 Jun 2024 02:07 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Naveen Patnaik, chief of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), formally submitted his resignation as the Chief Minister of Odisha to Governor Raghubar Das at Raj Bhavan in Bhubaneswar on Wednesday. This comes a day after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ended his 24-year tenure in the state.
In the 2024 Odisha state elections, the BJD secured 51 seats, a significant drop from the 112 seats won in the previous assembly elections. The BJP, meanwhile, crossed the halfway mark in the assembly with 78 seats, delivering a major blow to the BJD, which has often supported the BJP at the national level. Additionally, Patnaik's party failed to win a single seat in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The BJP won 20 out of the 21 constituencies in Odisha, with the Congress securing one seat.
Who Is Naveen Patnaik?
Naveen Patnaik was born on October 16, 1946, in Cuttack to Biju Patnaik, a former Chief Minister of Odisha, and Gyan Devi. He was educated at Welham Boys' School in Dehradun and The Doon School, where he was a classmate of Sanjay Gandhi and three years junior to Rajiv Gandhi.
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Patnaik, a writer, largely stayed away from politics and Odisha during his youth. However, after his father's death in 1997, he entered politics and founded the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) the same year. The BJD won the state election in alliance with the BJP, and Patnaik became Chief Minister. Known for his mild manner, anti-corruption stance, and pro-poor policies, Patnaik built a massive support base among the Odiya people, winning five consecutive terms as Chief Minister.
Patnaik has been known for several developmental initiatives, such as 3T or the success in handling a devastating cyclone in 2013.
Political Career of Naveen Patnaik
Following his father's death, Patnaik was elected to the 11th Lok Sabha from Aska in Odisha. He served on various parliamentary committees before founding the Biju Janata Dal in 1997. His party allied with the BJP and he became the Union Minister for Mines in A. B. Vajpayee's cabinet.
In 2000, Patnaik's BJD, in alliance with the BJP, won the Odisha Assembly elections, leading him to resign from the Union cabinet and become Chief Minister. He continued as Chief Minister after winning the 2004 state elections despite BJP-led NDA's loss in the general elections.
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In 2009, Patnaik severed ties with the BJP, criticising its involvement in the Kandhamal riots, and joined the Third Front. BJD won decisively in the 2009 elections, securing 14 out of 21 Lok Sabha seats and 103 of 147 Assembly seats.
Patnaik's BJD saw another significant victory in 2014, winning 20 of 21 Lok Sabha seats and 117 of 147 Assembly seats. In 2019, despite a strong Modi wave, BJD secured 112 of 146 Assembly seats and 12 Lok Sabha seats.
