Bhubaneswar: Birthday wishes from people from all walks of life poured in as Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in Odisha Assembly and BJD president Naveen Patnaik turned 79 on Wednesday.
Naveen Patnaik, one of the tallest political leaders in Odisha, has been the Chief Minister of the state for 24 consecutive years from 2000 to 2024.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, and Odisha Assembly Speaker Surama Padhy wished the veteran leader good health on X (formerly Twitter).
Born on October 16, 1946 in Odisha’s Cuttack to Bjiu Patnaik and Gyan Patnaik, Naveen Patnaik is the founder and president of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD). His father was a well-known figure in the movement for Indian independence from Britain and politician in Odisha who served two terms (1961–62 and 1990–95) as the state’s Chief Minister.
Naveen completed a BA degree from the University of Delhi in 1967 and became a writer. For many years he lived mostly abroad in the United States and elsewhere and had no connection to politics.
He returned to India shortly before his father’s death in April 1997. In June Naveen — as a member of his father’s party, the Janata Dal (JD) — ran for and won a by-election for his father’s vacant seat in the Lok Sabha. He was named to the Consultative Committee of the Ministry of Steel and Mines. In December 1997, and a year later joined National Democratic Alliance (NDA), a coalition of political parties led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
He was reelected in 1999 and headed the Ministry of Steel and Mines (from 1999 the Ministry of Mines and Minerals) in the NDA Cabinet.
In 2000 the BJD, in alliance with the BJP, won a large majority of seats in elections to the Odisha Assembly and ousted the long-serving Congress from the state government. Patnaik handily beat his Congress opponent and, after resigning from his posts in the national government, became the Chief Minister of Odisha.
Early in his political career, Patnaik benefited from the reputation of his father, but soon established himself firmly as a popular leader within the state and was lauded as an efficient and honest administrator.
Incidentally, Naveen Patnaik has not been celebrating his birthday for the last many years. In 2011, Naveen first decided against celebrating his birthday in honour of the flood victims. Two years later, the state was struck by Cyclone Phailin killing 23 people and affecting 9 million residents. Choosing not to celebrate his birthday, Naveen held rehabilitation and relief meetings with senior officials with a focus on restoring electricity in the worst-affected Ganjam district.
This year, the BJD workers are celebrating his birthday as the day to serve people and have organised blood donation camps across Odisha.
