Naveen Patnaik turns 78, receives warm birthday wishes across Odisha

Bhubaneswar, Oct 16: Birthday greetings poured in for Odisha’s veteran leader and Biju Janata Dal (BJD) president, Naveen Patnaik, as he turned 78 on Wednesday. Political leaders and admirers from various backgrounds extended their best wishes to the former Chief Minister.

Among the prominent well-wishers were Odisha’s Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, and Odisha Assembly Speaker Surama Padhy, who conveyed their greetings on X (formerly Twitter), wishing Patnaik good health and happiness.

Naveen Patnaik, one of Odisha’s most influential political figures, served as the Chief Minister for 24 consecutive years, from 2000 to 2024. Born on October 16, 1946, in Cuttack to the illustrious Biju Patnaik and Gyan Patnaik, Naveen comes from a family with deep political roots. His father, Biju Patnaik, was a freedom fighter and served as Odisha’s Chief Minister twice, from 1961 to 1962 and again from 1990 to 1995.

Despite his family’s political background, Naveen initially pursued a career in writing and spent much of his early life abroad. He completed his BA from the University of Delhi in 1967 and lived in the United States and other countries, remaining distant from Indian politics.

However, his political journey began in 1997 after the death of his father. He returned to India and contested a by-election for his father’s Lok Sabha seat under the Janata Dal (JD) banner, securing a victory. Soon after, he was appointed to the Consultative Committee of the Ministry of Steel and Mines. In December 1997, Patnaik founded the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and aligned it with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

In 1999, he was re-elected to the Lok Sabha and headed the Ministry of Mines in the NDA government. In 2000, under his leadership, the BJD-BJP alliance ousted the Congress from power in Odisha, marking the beginning of his long tenure as Chief Minister. Over the years, Patnaik became a key figure in Odisha’s politics, leading the state through numerous reforms and developmental initiatives.