Shri Naveen Patnaik, an Indian politician and government official in the eastern Indian state of Odisha (Orissa), was born on October 16, 1946, in Cuttack. He founded and held the position of president for many years of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), an Odisha-focused regional political organisation. Since 2000, he has also served as the state’s chief minister.
In Cuttack, in what is now Odisha, Patnaik was born. His father was Legend Bijayananda (Biju) Patnaik, a prominent figure in the campaign for Indian independence from Britain and a politician in Odisha who held the office of chief minister for the state for two periods (1961–1962, and 1990–1995). After earning his B.A. from the University of Delhi in 1967, Naveen Patnaik started writing. He was largely absent from politics throughout the many years he spent living overseas, including in the United States and other countries.
Naveen Patnaik has a passion for history and wants to make his time in office legendary. Patnaik has established a commanding presence in Odisha during his 25 years in politics, 22 of which he has spent in that position as chief minister. His detractors claim that the group of hand-selected officials and leaders he has used to manage the state is a coterie that enables him to maintain an iron grip on Odisha. Additionally, it guarantees that he has no rivals—both inside and outside the party.
Under Patnaik, Odisha has transformed from a state of natural disaster dependence to one of food security and disaster management excellence. “I have observed his professional growth. He is quite systematic, said, a party legislator. “He is like a chess player; he understands when to move the pieces. He can play multiple players at once like a grandmaster, customising his moves for each of them.
The fact that Patnaik has restricted himself to Odisha and rejected national ambitions and a desire to influence Delhi politics has helped him maintain his electoral advantage. Prior to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Patnaik declared, “We are guided by Odisha’s interests; whoever can give the state the greatest deal, we would back them.” Patnaik was indicating his neutrality toward both the BJP and the opposition coalition.
Patnaik, who is now 75, is still a mystery to the outside world. He led a non-conformist lifestyle up until age 50. He socialised with the powerful and wealthy while operating the boutique Psychedelhi out of the Oberoi Hotel in Delhi. On posh Aurangzeb Road (now A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Road), where he still has a 50% part with a market value of Rs. 43 crore, he resided in his family’s bungalow.
After the passing of his father, Biju Patnaik, a former chief minister of Odisha, in 1997, everything changed. He consented to run from his father’s seat in Aska at the request of the then-prime minister I.K. Gujral. In his life, the victory marked a turning point.
Since then, Patnaik has been a kurta-pyjama-clad spartan, at least in the eyes of the general public. A window into his personality is provided by his two offices, one at the state secretariat and the other at home.
In spite of its bad condition, Patnaik formerly owned an official Maruti Esteem and drove it for years. He had trouble getting into the automobile because he was over six feet tall, but he wouldn’t modify it, according to a close aide. “Up until it stalled in the rain one day. But he insisted on a similar model rather than choosing an SUV. New Maruti Suzuki SX4s were consequently purchased. Patnaik has a 1980 Ambassador in his private collection, which is currently worth at Rs.6,434.
Misra, who has known Patnaik since the 1990s, when they first connected over social dinners in Delhi, claims that “he always had a spartan streak.” He did not live that lifestyle only because he travelled and befriended wealthy celebrities. Mahatma Gandhi gave up his comforts gradually over the course of 20 years. In 1997, Patnaik completed it in a single day. He gets along with the wealthy and the needy equally well.
Despite speaking in simple Odia and with a clipped English accent, Patnaik may be a man of few words, but his compassion propelled his ideas to the common people.
The state previously existed at the perimeter and was disregarded, according to a retired IAS officer who served as Patnaik’s main advisor. There were no significant corporations or PSUs based here. The neighbouring states were strong politically. But given the way things have developed, it seems as though the edges are encroaching on the centre. Consider the World Cup of hockey, the restoration of a temple, and several policy projects that serve as examples. The state has disproved all myths about it and is no longer struggling to survive.
Patnaik is referred to as an outlier in the current political climate by some of his admirers. Sasmit Patra, a Rajya Sabha representative for the BJD, stated that “His politics is founded around excellent governance and clean politics.” “Unlike other politicians who speak for hours on end, his speeches are just five to ten minutes long. He never confronts his adversaries. He never discusses religion, creed, or caste. He hasn’t changed in the past 25 years. He serves the public with the teflon covering he has. He has changed the course of the state.
Patnaik is aware that it’s not just the schemes but also the execution that counts. According to his private secretary, V.K. Pandian, all bureaucrats, ministers, and occasionally even the chief minister, call on recipients as part of the “Mo Sarkar” effort to obtain feedback. While some are surprised, most people are happy. “Occasionally, we do hear bad things about a specific branch or official,” said Pandian. “Then, we hear further criticism on that specific unit or person. Action is taken if it is serious.
With more than ten years, Pandian has worked for Patnaik. When Pandian brought up the state government’s lack of support for athletes at a gathering of collectors in 2006, it appears that the chief minister became aware of him for the first time. At the time, Odisha provided athletes with a nutritional allowance that was just half of what the Sports Authority of India provided. Patnaik adopted the idea right away, asserting that the government could construct one bridge fewer but would still need to provide the same quantity of food for its athletes.
Pandian is also in charge of a novel policy project. The 5T (teamwork, technology, transparency, transformation, and time limit) programme uses these five criteria to evaluate the effectiveness of government employees and projects. Every department has goals and a deadline, according to Pandian. “They are questioned about the change they can effect. The important thing is transformation, not just advancement.
Odisha has made progress in fundamental areas, thus the government must now provide for a generation that has never known poverty. Given their aspirational nature, millennials may eventually threaten Patnaik’s popularity. The state has made a determined change in the last five years to interact with this new class of voters. The Hockey World Cup, which Odisha hosted in 2018 as well, a heritage corridor surrounding the Shree Jagannatha Temple, the transformation of government schools into smart schools, and the implementation of the new health programme are currently the main priorities.
This dependency on government employees is frequently used against Patnaik. Many lawmakers, including some in his own party, were displeased when he made the transfers and posting procedure transparent and placed it online. They claimed that a crucial aspect of their interaction with the public had been removed, leaving them helpless.
In 2012, Pyari Mohan Mohapatra, a trusted bureaucrat-turned-politician, attempted to overthrow Patnaik. When the problem arose, Patnaik had to end his maiden trip abroad as chief minister. Since then, there hasn’t been a coup attempt.
People who do not take lessons from history are doomed to repeat their mistakes, according to Misra. “His passion for global history is deep-seated. He gains knowledge from it.
The general secretary of the BJD, Pranab Prakash Das, stated: “He conducts his own surveys and examines what the populace thinks of the leaders. He never makes concessions in favour of progress, harmony, or peace. He listens to criticism from his political peers. He has no patience for dishonesty or corruption. No one matters when it comes to what people want.
Even though the BJD has been successful in elections, the BJP’s expansion is of more recent concern. The BJP boosted their vote share by nearly 14% in the 2019 assembly elections, going from 10 to 23 seats. The party boosted its vote share in the Lok Sabha elections of that year by 17%, bringing it to 38.4%. Despite receiving 42.8% of the vote, the BJD lost eight of its seats. Seven of those went to the BJP.
The BJP believes that Odisha might be a perfect fit for its hindutva narrative because of its rich cultural past. Evidently realising this, the BJD has chosen a spiritual path, which includes the corridor project for the Shree Jagannath Temple. After the horrifying Kandhamal riots in 2009, Patnaik had broken up his relationship with the BJP. Since then, he has kept social harmony in the state.
Patnaik allegedly became the first chief minister to meet Pope Francis during his second overseas trip, which took place in June. Additionally, he went to Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, and upon his return, he participated in the Puri Rath Yatra.
Even though Patnaik disagrees with the state BJP, he gets along well with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He was the first chief minister to endorse Droupadi Murmu’s presidential bid, and he has voted in favour of the majority of Centre-sponsored bills in Parliament. He did, however, block other Central programmes because he had his own, including Ayushman Bharat.
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