In a significant turn of events, Naveen Patnaik resigns from his position as Chief Minister of Odisha. The 77-year-old veteran Odia leader submitted his resignation to Governor Raghubar Das. This decision came after the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) faced a resounding defeat at the hands of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in simultaneous polls for the state assembly and the Lok Sabha.

Political Setback for Naveen Patnaik

Patnaik, who had been consistently winning elections since 2000, arrived at the Raj Bhavan in the morning to submit his resignation. Notably, he was unaccompanied by his trusted lieutenant, VK Pandian, who is believed to be a key factor behind the regional party’s electoral setback.

The BJD won 51 seats in the 147-member state Assembly, marking its worst-ever performance, while the BJP achieved victory with 78 seats. The BJP also performed well in the Lok Sabha elections, securing 20 out of 21 parliamentary seats in Odisha.

Naveen Patnaik’s political journey has been remarkable. From his early days as a one-time dilettante who co-founded an art boutique called Psychedelhi in the 1960s alongside erstwhile royal Martand Singh, he went on to become the five-time Chief Minister of Odisha. His tenure was poised to make him the longest-serving Chief Minister of any Indian state until the recent electoral upset caused by the BJP.

When Naveen Patnaik’s father, Biju Patnaik, passed away in 1997, the mantle of leadership fell to his youngest son. With assistance from the BJP, the BJD was formed to capitalize on the sympathy wave following Biju Patnaik’s demise. Despite his halting command of the Odia language, Naveen Patnaik’s popularity remained unwavering.

Naveen Patnaik resigns
Image Source: naveenpatnaik.in

After winning his first assembly polls in 2000, Naveen Patnaik continued to thrive. In 2004, when the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government faced defeat, Patnaik rode the Vajpayee wave in Odisha, securing victory in alliance with the BJP. However, in 2009, he distanced himself from the BJP, citing communal politics in the aftermath of the Hindu-Christian riots in Kandhamal district.

In 2014, Patnaik defied the nationwide Modi wave, winning a record 117 out of 147 seats in the state assembly polls and 20 seats in the Lok Sabha. His popularity endured, even as he faced a resurgent BJP led by an aggressive Modi-Shah duo in the 2019 elections. Patnaik crisscrossed the state, addressing over 150 meetings and introducing a ₹10,000 per year cash transfer scheme for more than 5.7 million farmers in Odisha.

After the 2019 elections, Patnaik's declining health forced him to step back from public life and hand over control to VK Pandian, an IAS officer from Tamil Nadu who had served as Patnaik's private secretary for over a decade. Pandian took charge of the party and exerted strong control, causing the BJD's membership to gradually decrease and eventually disintegrate, while the BJP launched its 'Odia Asmita' campaign.

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