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Naveen Patnaik

Naveen Patnaik
Patnaik in 2019
Leader of the Opposition, Odisha Legislative Assembly
Incumbent
Assumed office
20 June 2024[1]
GovernorRaghubar Das
Kambhampati Hari Babu
Chief MinisterMohan Charan Majhi
Preceded byJayanarayan Mishra
14th Chief Minister of Odisha
In office
5 March 2000 – 11 June 2024
Governor
Preceded byHemananda Biswal (INC)
Succeeded byMohan Charan Majhi (BJP)
Member of Odisha Legislative Assembly
Incumbent
Assumed office
5 March 2000
Preceded byUdayanath Nayak
ConstituencyHinjili
Union Minister of Mines and Minerals
In office
13 October 1999 – 4 March 2000
Prime MinisterAtal Bihari Vajpayee
Preceded byOffice established
Succeeded byAtal Bihari Vajpayee
Union Minister of Steel and Mines
In office
19 March 1998 – 13 October 1999
Prime MinisterAtal Bihari Vajpayee
Preceded byBirendra Prasad Baishya
Succeeded byDilip Ray
President of Biju Janata Dal
Incumbent
Assumed office
26 December 1997
Preceded byposition established
Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha
In office
12 April 1997 – 4 March 2000
Preceded byBiju Patnaik
Succeeded byKumudini Patnaik
ConstituencyAska
Personal details
Born (1946-10-16) 16 October 1946 (age 78)
Cuttack, Orissa, British India
Political partyBiju Janata Dal (since 1997)
Other political
affiliations		Janata Dal (until 1997)
Parents
RelativesPrem Patnaik (brother)
Gita Mehta (sister)
Sonny Mehta (brother-in-law)
Residence(s)Naveen Nivas,
Aerodrome Road, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India
Alma materThe Lawrence School, Sanawar
The Doon School, Dehradun
Kirori Mal College, Delhi (BA)
Profession
Websitenaveenpatnaik.in
Source: [1]

Naveen Patnaik (Odia: [n̪ɔbin̪ pɔʈn̪ajk]; born 16 October 1946) is an Indian politician and writer, who served as the 14th Chief Minister of Odisha from 5 March 2000 to 12 June 2024. His 24-year tenure is the second longest for a chief minister of any Indian state, after Pawan Kumar Chamling of Sikkim. He is the founder and current president of the Biju Janata Dal, serving since 1997, and has represented the Hinjili Assembly constituency since 2000.[2] He also served as the Union Minister of Steel and Mines from 1998 to 2000 and as a member of the Lok Sabha from Aska from 1997 to 2000.

Early life

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Patnaik was born on 16 October 1946 in an aristocratic Karan family to Biju Patnaik, former Chief Minister of Odisha, and his wife, Gyan Devi, who died on 17 January 2009.[3][4][5] He was educated at the Welham Boys' School in Dehradun, The Lawrence School, Sanawar and later The Doon School.[6] At Doon, he was a classmate of Sanjay Gandhi and three years junior to Rajiv Gandhi, who later became prime minister of India.[7] After school, he went to the Kirori Mal College[8] of Delhi University, and obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree.[9]

Political career

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Naveen Patnaik at the Opening Ceremony Hockey World Cup 2018

After the death of his father Biju Patnaik, leader of the Janata Dal,[9] he was elected as a member to the 11th Lok Sabha in the by-election from Aska Parliamentary Constituency in Odisha, India.[9] He was a member of the Consultative Committee of Ministry of Steel & Mines, Member of Standing Committee on Commerce, and Member Library Committee of Parliament. In December 1997, Naveen split from the Janata Dal and founded the Biju Janata Dal.[10] The new party was in alliance with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance performed well and Naveen Patnaik was selected the Union Minister for Mines in the cabinet of Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Chief Minister of Odisha

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In the 2000 Assembly election, BJD won the majority of seats in alliance with the BJP in the Odisha Assembly elections, Patnaik resigned from the Union cabinet and was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Odisha.

BJP led NDA lost the general elections in 2004, however, the coalition led by Naveen Patnaik emerged victorious in the state legislative elections and he continued as the Chief Minister. During this tenure, the friction between the ruling partners was getting more and more apparent, especially after the killing of Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati[11] in the Kandhamal district of Odisha in 2007–2008 and also the active participation of Bajrang Dal in the riots that hit Kandhamal region.

In the run-up to the polls for the Lok Sabha and Legislative Assembly of Odisha elections in 2009, BJD walked out of the NDA after severing ties with the BJP and joined the nascent Third Front constituted mainly by the Left Front and few regional parties.[12] He did it after severely criticizing BJP's involvement in Kandhamal anti-Christian riots during 2008. The BJD won a resounding victory in both the Vidhan Sabha (State Assembly) as well as the Lok Sabha elections in 2009, winning 14 out of 21 Lok Sabha seats and 103 of the 147 assembly seats and was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Odisha on 21 May 2009 for the third consecutive term.[13]

Patnaik won a huge victory in both the 2014 Indian general elections and the Legislative Assembly of Odisha elections in 2014. Patnaik's Biju Janata Dal secured 20 out of the 21 Lok Sabha seats of Odisha and 117 of the 147 Odisha Vidhan Sabha seats.[14]

In spite of a strong BJP wave across the country, the Biju Janata Dal, under the leadership of Naveen Patnaik won as many as 112 seats out of 146 (polls for 1 was deferred) in the Legislative Assembly of Odisha and 12 out of 21 Lok Sabha seats in 2019 Indian general elections.

Odisha Leader of Opposition

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The Biju Janata Dal was voted out of power in the 2024 Odisha Legislative Assembly election as the party managed to win 51 seats in Legislative Assembly of Odisha, thus ending Patnaik's 24-year rule in Odisha. Patnaik was himself defeated in Kantabanji constituency by 16,344 votes, marking his first electoral defeat. However, he did win the Hinjili seat with a reduced margin compared to previous elections. In the general elections as well, the BJD failed to win any of the seats it contested.[15][16]

Electoral history

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Odisha Legislative Assembly

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Year Constituency Party Votes % Opponent Opponent Party Opponent Votes % Result Margin %
2024 Kantabanji BJD 74,532 36.56 Laxman Bag BJP 90,876 44.57 Lost -16,344 -8.01
Hinjili 66,459 46.85 Sisir Mishra 61,823 43.59 Won 4,636 3.26
2019 Bijepur 110,604 59.78 Sanat Kumar Gartia 53,482 28.91 Won 57,122 30.87
Hinjili 94,065 66.32 Pitambar Acharya 33,905 23.91 Won 60,160 42.41
2014 89,267 73.14 Sibaram Patra INC 12,681 10.39 Won 76,586 62.75
2009 72,942 76.04 Raghaba Parida 11,669 12.17 Won 61,273 63.87
2004 62,968 72.71 Udayanath Nayak 20,326 23.47 Won 42,642 49.24
2000 56,243 65.35 29,826 34.65 Won 26,417 30.7

Lok Sabha

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Year Constituency Party Votes % Opponent Opponent
Party 		Opponent
Votes 		% Result Margin %
1999 Aska BJD 359,178 74.90 Duti Krushna Panda CPI 102,442 21.36 Won 256,736 53.54
1998 310,751 53.88 Chandra Sekhar Sahu INC 224,540 38.93 Won 86,211 14.95

Criticisms

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Naveen Patnaik in 2016

Patnaik spent most of his early days away from Odisha, so he has problems with writing and speaking fluently in Odia language.[17] He is the only chief minister of India who does not speak fluently the regional language of his state and because of this, he has been facing severe criticism from his opponents. Presently, Patnaik has an adequate working knowledge of Odia and he possesses great mastery over Hindi, French, Punjabi, and English. At rallies, he delivers Odia speeches written in Roman alphabet.[18]

Personal life

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Patnaik is a writer and had for the most of his youth been away from both politics and Odisha, but after his father Biju Patnaik's demise, he entered politics in 1997 and founded the Biju Janata Dal, named after his father. His mild manner and policies have made his party hugely popular in the state.[19][20] He is also one of the founding members of Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage.[21] His elder sister was the writer Gita Mehta.[22]

Accolades

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Naveen Patnaik receiving Outlook Speakout award for best administrator from former President of India Pranab Mukherjee in the presence of Arun Jaitley
Award Year Conferrer Event/Location
Lifetime Achievement Award 2022 N. V. Ramana Capital Foundation National Awards
Hero to Animals Award 2020 PETA Odisha, India
CSI E-Ratna Award 2020 Computer Society of India 53rd CSI Annual Convention
FIH President's Award 2018 International Hockey Federation 46th FIH Congress
Ideal Chief Minister 2018 Pratibha Patil 8th Indian Students' Parliament
Best Administrator in India 2017 Pranab Mukherjee Outlook India Speak Out Awards 2017
United Nations Award 2013 United Nations Odisha State Secretariat

Recognitions

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Writings

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Shri Naveen Patnaik". Odisha Legislative Assembly. Retrieved 14 August 2025.
  2. ^ "From greenhorn to history-scripting politician". The Hindu. 18 May 2009. Archived from the original on 7 November 2020. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
  3. ^ "Naveen Patnaik: From Reluctant Political Heir to Odisha's Longest Serving Chief Minister". NDTV. Archived from the original on 7 January 2022. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  4. ^ Bhatt, Sheela (11 March 2009). "Naveen Patnaik's master stroke in Orissa". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 1 March 2016. Retrieved 25 December 2010.
  5. ^ "How the Patnaiks, despite being 2% of Odisha's population, ruled the state for 45 years, and maybe beyond". The Economic Times. 11 May 2024. ISSN 0013-0389. Retrieved 6 April 2025.
  6. ^ Reshmi R Dasgupta (10 May 2004). "Naveen Patnaik sets stage for GeNext Doscos". The Economic Times. Archived from the original on 7 July 2012. Retrieved 21 November 2012.
  7. ^ Bhandare, Namita (16 June 1997). "Naveen Patnaik juggles his socialite pursuits with his party's socialist goals". India Today. Archived from the original on 11 January 2022. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
  8. ^ "Shri Naveen Patnaik – OdishaGovt". Archived from the original on 24 September 2022. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
  9. ^ a b c "Profile-Chief Minister of Orissa". Orissa. Gov.in. Archived from the original on 23 August 2011. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
  10. ^ Banerjee, Ruben; Ansari, Javed M. (28 December 1997). "Janata Dal split in Orissa spells doom for both the party and Congress". India Today. Archived from the original on 17 January 2024. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
  11. ^ "Local factors led to Kandhamal violence". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 2 November 2020. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
  12. ^ "Kandhamal led to split with BJP: Patnaik". India Today. 16 May 2009. Archived from the original on 15 March 2022. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
  13. ^ Jha, Nikhil (16 April 2019). "Rise and rise of BJD leader Naveen Patnaik: Has the Odisha chief minister hit a plateau?". Times Now. Archived from the original on 4 March 2021. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
  14. ^ "Partywise Result". Archived from the original on 17 May 2014. Retrieved 22 May 2014.
  15. ^ "Naveen Patnaik: The fall of a titan". The Hindu. 11 June 2024.
  16. ^ "How BJP outsmarted BJD and conquered the state of Odisha". The Indian Express. 5 June 2024.
  17. ^ "Odisha CM's Odia speech written in English goes viral, ridiculed". The Times of India. 17 May 2013. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 15 December 2023. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
  18. ^ "Naveen Patnaik fails language test". Archived from the original on 4 April 2014. Retrieved 17 June 2014.
  19. ^ For Naveen, politics is a way to complete father's agenda Archived 20 May 2009 at the Wayback Machine. Indianexpress.com (10 May 1997). Retrieved 25 December 2010.
  20. ^ Shankar, Kalyani (4 January 2018). "From a soft-spoken socialite to a ruthless, authoritarian leader: Naveen Patnaik's two decades in Odisha". ThePrint. Archived from the original on 2 November 2020. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
  21. ^ "INTACH Founding Members". INTACH. Archived from the original on 15 July 2020. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  22. ^ Bisoyi, Sujit Kumar (26 January 2019). "Gita Mehta: Naveen Patnaik's sister and author Gita Mehta declines Padma Shri award". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 26 March 2022. Retrieved 26 March 2022.
  23. ^ "UN citation to Naveen for Phailin evacuation". Business Standard. India. 20 December 2013. Archived from the original on 5 June 2020. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
  24. ^ "Women reservation: UN compliment for Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik". The Economic Times. 25 February 2019. Archived from the original on 26 February 2019. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  25. ^ Patnaik, Naveen (1 January 1985). Second Paradise: Indian Courtly Life 1590–1947. Doubleday Religious Publishing Group. ISBN 9780385199926.
  26. ^ Patnaik, Naveen (1 January 1990). A Desert Kingdom: The Rajputs of Bikaner. Vendome Press. ISBN 9780865651227.
  27. ^ Patnaik, Naveen (1 January 1993). The Garden of Life: An Introduction to the Healing Plants of India. Doubleday. ISBN 9780385424691.
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Naveen Patnaik.
Political offices
Preceded by Chief Minister of Odisha
5 March 2000 – 12 June 2024 		Succeeded by
State Legislative Assembly
Preceded by Member of the Odisha Legislative Assembly
from Hinjili Assembly constituency
2019– 		Incumbent
Preceded by Member of the Odisha Legislative Assembly
from Bijepur Assembly constituency
2019–2019-2024 		Succeeded by