Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik submitted his resignation to Governor Raghubar Das on Wednesday, following the Biju Janata Dal’s (BJD) defeat to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the simultaneous state assembly and Lok Sabha elections.
Patnaik, a veteran Odia leader who has been in power since 2000, tendered his resignation at the Raj Bhavan. Notably absent was his trusted aide, VK Pandian, considered a key reason behind the BJD’s poor performance.
In the state assembly, the BJD secured only 51 seats out of 147, its worst performance to date, as the BJP captured 78 seats, emphasizing ‘Odia Asmita’ (Odia pride) as their primary campaign focus. The BJP also dominated the Lok Sabha elections, winning 20 of the 21 seats.
Patnaik’s tenure saw him break ties with the BJP in 2009 after communal riots in Kandhamal, but he managed to withstand the nationwide Modi wave in 2014, securing 117 assembly seats and 20 Lok Sabha seats.
In 2019, he faced a strong BJP campaign led by Modi and Shah, but his health issues forced him to delegate responsibilities to VK Pandian. The BJP’s ‘Odia Asmita’ campaign eventually led to the BJD’s downfall, marking the end of Patnaik’s long and influential political journey.
Naveen Patnaik, who transitioned from a one-time art boutique owner to a five-time chief minister, was poised to become the longest-serving chief minister in India. The BJD was founded after the death of his father, Biju Patnaik, in 1997, leveraging a sympathy wave. Despite his initial struggle with the Odia language, Patnaik’s popularity soared.
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