Naveen Patnaik


Naveen Patnaik is an Indian politician and writer, who is currently leader of opposition in Odisha Legislative Assembly. He served as the 14th Chief Minister of Odisha from 5 March 2000 to 12 June 2024.
He is the founding chairperson of the Biju Janata Dal, serving since 1997, and has represented the Hinjili Assembly constituency since 2000. He also served as the Union Minister of Steel and Mines from 1998 to 2000 and as a member of the Lok Sabha from Aska from 1997 to 2000.
WWW Official Site𝕏 Naveen_OdishaFB Naveen.odisha

Early life

Patnaik was born on 16 October 1946 in an aristocratic Karan family to Biju Patnaik, former Chief Minister of Odisha, and his wife, Gyan Devi.
He was educated at the Welham Boys' School in Dehradun, The Lawrence School, Sanawar 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 of India.
After school, he went to the Kirori Mal College of Delhi University, and obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree.

Political career

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, named after Biju Patnaik. The new party went into alliance with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance for 1998 election. The alliance performed well winning 16 out of 21 seats and Naveen Patnaik was selected as the Union Minister for Mines in the cabinet of Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Chief Minister of Odisha

In the 2000 Odisha [Legislative Assembly election|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. He took office on the 84th birth anniversary of his father.
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.
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 2008. The BJD won a resounding victory in both the Vidhan Sabha 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.
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.
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 in the Legislative Assembly of Odisha and 12 out of 21 Lok Sabha seats in 2019 Indian general elections.
His 24-year tenure is the second longest for a chief minister of any Indian state, after Pawan Kumar Chamling of Sikkim.

Odisha Leader of Opposition

The Biju Janata Dal was voted out of power in the 2024 Odisha Legislative Assembly election as the party managed to win 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 electoral defeat. However, he did win the Hinjili seat with a reduced margin compared to previous elections. In Lok Sabha elections, the BJD, for the first time, failed to win any of the seats it contested.

Criticisms

Patnaik spent most of his early days away from Odisha, so he had problems with writing and speaking fluently in the Odia language. He was the only chief minister of India who did not speak fluently the regional language of his state, and because of this, he faced severe criticism from his opponents. During his tenure, Patnaik had an adequate working knowledge of Odia, and he possessed great mastery over Hindi, French, Punjabi, and English. At rallies, he delivered Odia speeches written in the Roman alphabet.

Personal life

Patnaik is a writer and had spent most of his youth away from both politics and Odisha. However, after his father Biju Patnaik’s demise, he entered politics in 1997 and founded the Biju Janata Dal, named after his father. His mild manner and policies made his party hugely popular in the state. He is also one of the founding members of the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage. His elder sister was the writer Gita Mehta, who died in 2023..

Accolades

AwardYearConferrerEvent/Location
Lifetime Achievement Award2022N. V. RamanaCapital Foundation National Awards
Hero to Animals Award2020PETAOdisha, India
CSI E-Ratna Award2020Computer Society of India53rd CSI Annual Convention
FIH President's Award2018International Hockey Federation46th FIH Congress
Ideal Chief Minister2018Pratibha Patil8th Indian Students' Parliament
Best Administrator in India2017Pranab MukherjeeOutlook India Speak Out Awards 2017
United Nations Award2013United Nations

Recognitions

Writings

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