Odisha Chief Minister (CM) and Biju Janta DaL (BJD) leader Naveen Patnaik, on Wednesday, 24, put an end to his tenure at the Raj Bhavan in Bhubaneswar by submitting his resignation to Odisha Governor Raghubar Das. This followed his devastating loss in the State Assembly and Parliamentary elections.
The BJP secured 35 seats, and its candidates increased their lead in another 42 seats. In the 147-member Odisha Legislative Assembly, 74 votes are needed to establish a government.
The BJD secured 51 seats way behind the majority mark of 74 and the Indian National Congress secured 14 seats.
The 77-year-old veteran Odia leader, who has been continuously winning since 2000, reached the Raj Bhavan in the morning to submit his resignation. He was, notably, not accompanied by his trusted lieutenant VK Pandian, who is said to be the key reason behind the 27-year-old regional party’s poll debacle.
After suffering a massive defeat in the State Assembly and Parliamentary elections, the 24-year-old tenure of Odisha CM and BJD chief Naveen Patnaik concluded as he submitted his resignation to the Odisha Governor Raghubar Das at the Raj Bhavan in Bhubaneswar on June 5.
The BJP crushed the BJD, which managed to secure 51 seats in the 147-member state Assembly, marking its lowest-ever result. The BJP won 20 of the 21 Lok Sabha seats and 78 seats in the Vidhan Sabha by campaigning on the platform of “Odia Asmita,” or “Odia pride.”
Following his victory in the 2000 assembly elections, Naveen Patnaik never looked back. In Odisha, Patnaik reappeared from a Vajpayee wave after the Atal Bihari Vajpayee administration was defeated at the hustings in 2004 and won the assembly elections in coalition with the BJP.
Mr. Patnaik had first taken oath as Chief Minister of Odisha on March 5, 2000.
However, he ditched the BJP in 2009, alleging communal politics in the wake of the Hindu-Christian riots in Kandhamal district. In 2014, he bucked a nationwide Modi wave to win a record 117 of the 147 seats in the state assembly polls and 20 seats in the Lok Sabha.
In 2019 too, he faced a resurgent BJP led by an aggressive Modi-Shah duo. Patnaik went around the state addressing over 150 meetings and started a ₹10,000 per year cash transfer scheme for over 5.7 million farmers in Odisha.
However, after the 2019 polls, his failing health forced him to remain indoors most of the time and pass on the reins to his trusted lieutenant VK Pandian, a Tamil Nadu-born IAS officer who worked as his private secretary for a dozen years till October 2023.
Had he secured a sixth term, he would have been in contention to become India’s longest-serving Chief Minister, surpassing the record held by former Sikkim CM Pawan Chamling.
The resignation of Naveen Patnaik after his 24-year rule could significantly reshape Odisha’s political landscape. As the longest-serving Chief Minister, his departure creates an opportunity for new leadership and potential shifts in policy priorities.
The BJP’s victory in the assembly elections indicates a changing political dynamic, and their administration will likely focus on implementing their agenda. However, the BJD remains a relevant force, and its response to this transition will be crucial in shaping the state’s future direction.
Overall, Naveen Patnaik’s leadership left a lasting impact on Odisha’s development, although challenges remain in areas like poverty reduction and employment generation. Opinions on Patnaik’s rule are diverse, reflecting both achievements and areas for improvement.
The Biju Janata Dal (BJD), which had ruled Odisha since 1997, lost to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), effectively ending Patnaik’s long tenure as Chief Minister.
