Naveen Patnaik

Naveen Patnaik (Odia: [n̪ɔbin̪ pɔʈn̪ajk]; born 16 October 1946) is an Indian politician who served as the 14th Chief Minister of Odisha from 5 March 2000 to 12 June 2024. His 24-year reign is the second longest for a chief minister of any Indian state, after Pawan Kumar Chamling of Sikkim. He is the first president of the Biju Janata Dal since 1997. He served as the Union Minister of Steel and Mines from 1998 to 2000 and a member of the Lok Sabha from Aska from 1997 to 2000.

Patnaik was born on 16 October 1946 in Cuttack to Biju Patnaik, former Chief Minister of Odisha, and his wife, Gyan Devi . He was educated at the Welham Boys' School in Dehradun, and later The Doon School. At Doon, he was a classmate of Sanjay Gandhi and three years junior to Rajiv Gandhi, who later became prime minister. After school, he went to the Kirori Mal College of Delhi University, and obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree.

Patnaik is a writer and had for the most part of his youth been away from both politics and Odisha, but after his father Biju Patnaik's demise, he entered politics in 1997 and the same year founded the Biju Janata Dal, named after Biju Patnaik, which won the state election with the BJP as its alliance and formed the government in which Patnaik became Chief Minister. His mild mannerism, "Stand against corruption" and "Pro-poor policies" have resulted in the development of a huge support base in Odisha, which has voted him to power in the last five consecutive terms. Like his father, he has managed to control the bureaucracy and transformed it into a machine for the development of the state. His spartan personal lifestyle and detachment from material possessions has been liked by the people of the state. He is also one of the founding members of Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage. His elder sister is the writer Gita Mehta.

After the death of his father Biju Patnaik, leader of the Janata Dal, he was elected as a member to the 11th Lok Sabha in the by-election from Aska Parliamentary Constituency in Odisha, India. He was a member of the Consultative Committee of Ministry of Steel & Mines, Member of Standing Committee on Commerce, and Member Library Committee of Parliament. In December 1997, Naveen split from the Janata Dal and founded the Biju Janata Dal. The new party was in alliance with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance performed well and Naveen Patnaik was selected the Union Minister for Mines in the cabinet of Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Elections 2000

In the 2000 Assembly election, BJD won the majority of seats in alliance with the BJP in the Odisha Assembly elections, Patnaik resigned from the Union cabinet and was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Odisha.

Elections 2004

BJP led NDA lost the general elections in 2004, however, the coalition led by Naveen Patnaik emerged victorious in the state legislative elections and he continued as the Chief Minister. During this tenure, the friction between the ruling partners was getting more and more apparent, especially after the killing of Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati in the Kandhamal district of Odisha in 2007–2008 and also the active participation of Bajrang Dal in the riots that hit Kandhamal region.

Elections 2009

In the run-up to the polls for the Lok Sabha and Legislative Assembly of Odisha elections in 2009, BJD walked out of the NDA after severing ties with the BJP and joined the nascent Third Front constituted mainly by the Left Front and few regional parties. He did it after severely criticizing BJP's involvement in Kandhamal anti-Christian riots during 2007. The BJD won a resounding victory in both the Vidhan Sabha (State Assembly) as well as the Lok Sabha elections in 2009, winning 14 out of 21 Lok Sabha seats and 103 of the 147 assembly seats and was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Odisha on 21 May 2009 for the third consecutive term.

Elections 2014

Patnaik won a huge victory in both the 2014 Indian general elections and the Legislative Assembly of Odisha elections in 2014. Patnaik's Biju Janata Dal secured 20 out of the 21 Lok Sabha seats of Odisha and 117 of the 147 Odisha Vidhan Sabha seats.

Elections 2019

In spite of a strong BJP wave across the country, the Biju Janata Dal, under the leadership of Naveen Patnaik won as many as 112 seats out of 146 (polls for 1 was deferred) in the Legislative Assembly of Odisha and 12 out of 21 Lok Sabha seats in 2019 Indian general elections.

Elections 2024

The Biju Janata Dal was voted of power in the 2024 Odisha Legislative Assembly election as the party managed to win only 51 seats in Legislative Assembly of Odisha, thus ending Patnaik's 24-year rule in Odisha. Patnaik was himself defeated in Kantabanji constituency by 16,344 votes, marking his first political defeat. However, he did win the Hinjili seat, but with a much reduced margin compared to previous elections. In the general elections as well, the BJD won 0 seats, failing to open their account. The BJP won the assembly elections in Odisha and swept the Lok Sabha elections as well, winning 20 out of 21 seats.

Electoral history

Patnaik spent most of his early days away from Odisha, so he has problems with writing and speaking fluently in Odia language. He is the only chief minister of India who does not speak fluently the regional language of his state and because of this, he has been facing severe criticism from his opponents. Presently, Patnaik has an adequate working knowledge of Odia and he possesses great mastery over Hindi, French, Punjabi, and English. At rallies, he delivers Odia speeches written in Roman alphabet.

• The United Nations in 2013, felicitated Naveen by presenting a citation for his government's handling of Cyclone Phailin which hit Odisha in October 2013. The body also announced that the state's efforts would be highlighted as a model for disaster management programs globally. Naveen was also invited by the international body to attend the 2015 Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (WCDRR), which was held in Sendai, Japan from 14 to 18 March 2015.
• The United Nations in 2019, complimented Naveen for his government's proposal of reserving 33% of seats for women in the National Parliament as well as in the state's Legislative Assembly.

• A Second Paradise: Indian Courtly Life 1590–1947 – Published in India, England and US
• A Desert Kingdom: The People of Bikaner – Published in India, England and US
• The Garden of Life: An Introduction to the Healing Plants of India – Published in India, England and US