Naveen Patnaik - The reigning chief minister of Odisha

Sushmita Dutta

Naveen Patnaik, the three-time chief minister of Odisha, is all set to win another electoral battle and keep his winning streak from Hinjili Assembly constituency.

Born in Cuttack, Odisha, on October 6, 1946, Patnaik is the son of former Chief Minister of Odisha and senior Janata Dal leader Biju Patnaik, and his mother’s name is Gyan Patnaik. At the age of seven Naveen was sent to Welham Boys’ School, Dehradun but later was shifted to Doon School. He got his Bachelor of Arts from Kirori Mal College of Delhi University.

In 1997, after the demise of Biju Patnaik, Naveen returned from USA to join politics. The same year he was elected from the Aska Parliamentary Constituency, in a by-election, as a Member of Parliament. Soon he captured the imagination of the people of Odisha and eventually became the most successful chief minister for the state of Odisha.

During his stint as a Lok Sabha member, he was part of the Consultative Committee of Ministry of Steel and Mines, Member of Standing Committee on Commerce and Member Library Committee of Parliament.

In the year 1998, the Janata Dal split and Naveen Patnaik formed the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) in Odisha and was elected to the 12th Lok Sabha again from Aska. He was part of BJP-led NDA alliance and was selected as the Union minister for Mines in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee cabinet.

In the 2000 Assembly elections of Odisha, BJD managed to clinch a majority in alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party. Naveen Patnaik then resigned as the Union Minister and was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Odisha for the first time.

In 2004, BJD still in alliance with BJP did well both in the Assembly as well as in the Lok Sabha polls. Patnaik continued as the Chief Minister of Odisha. However, the religious clashes in Kandhamal, brought fissures between the two allies.

In the run-up to the polls for the 2009 Lok Sabha and Odisha Vidhan Sabha, BJD broke all ties with the NDA and joined the infant Third Front. Naveen Patnaik and his party won a thumping victory in the Assembly polls garnering 103 out of 147 seats. The party also won 4 out of the 21 seats.

Known for his non-corrupt image, Patnaik has turned into a popular leader in the 14 years he has been in power. Patnaik projects a ‘pro-poor’ and ‘honest’ image for himself who acted against the mighty like Pyarimohan Mahapatra when it became deemed necessary. But the recent mining scam and chit-fund scam has put a question mark on the credibility of the BJD government.

Apart from politics Patnaik also has a keen interest in writing. He is the author of three books- A Second Paradise: Indian Country Life 1590-1947, A Desert Kingdom: The people of Bikaner and the Garden of Life: An Introduction to the Healing Plants of India.

Besides the Lok Sabha polls, the eastern coastal state of Odisha is also due to go the Assembly elections this year. In both the elections, the state is certain to see the return of Naveen Patnaik, the reigning chief minister since 2000.

According to a poll survey in January, the Patnaik's Biju Janata Dal (BJD) may increase its tally of seats further; it currently has 91 seats in the 130-member assembly.

Sensing the mood, several Congress leaders have already switched sides to the BJD.

The BJP's position is equally poor in the state and many hold KV Singhdeo, the state president of the party, for such a sorry state of affairs. Although, a pre-poll survey said the BJP's vote-share is expected to rise by eight per cent but that could be largely at the expense of the Congress.

Odisha polls will be held in two phases:

First phase: Date of poll: April 10, 2014 (Thursday)
Date of counting the votes: May 16, 2014 (Friday)
Second phase: Date of poll: April 17, 2014 (Thursday)
Date of counting the votes: May 16, 2014 (Friday)