Bhubaneswar: Leader of Opposition and former Chief Minister of Odisha, Naveen Patnaik, has been elected as the President of Biju Janata Dal (BJD) for the ninth consecutive time.
As the sole candidate for the post, he was elected unopposed. The party formally announced the result at Shankh Bhawan, solidifying Patnaik’s continued influence in Odisha politics. After being elected as BJD president for the ninth time, Naveen Patnaik addressed the party leaders and workers.
As per reports, Patnaik filed his nomination papers on April 17, 2025, on the 28th death anniversary of his father, Biju Patnaik, after whom the party is named.
Addressing the media, BJD Supremo said, “Our fight for Odisha’s rights will continue. Odia pride and Odisha’s interests are paramount to us. Biju Janata Dal has always stood firm by its ideals and will continue to do so.”
He continued: “We missed the last election with a narrow margin, even though BJD got more popular votes. This is because we couldn’t effectively counter the false narrative. Even now, creating a false narrative is the main strategy against BJD. We should be aggressive in exposing this false narrative, especially on social media. Let me be honest in telling that we need to strongly improve put social media presence. Technology should be used to tell facts, and without technology, we cannot reach out to people. I have full faith in our workers, brothers, and sisters. They will give a fitting reply to false propaganda.”
Notably, Patnaik has been heading the party since the party’s inception in 1997. For over two decades, Naveen Patnaik has served as the Chief Minister of Odisha.
On the other hand, it is learnt that the election of district presidents has been completed in most of BJD’s 33 organisational districts.
