A year after he created history with an unprecedented fourth consecutive win in the Odisha Lok Sabha and assembly polls, reclusive Chief Minister and Biju Janata Dal chief Naveen Patnaik once again demonstrated his political invincibility when he swept the recent civic polls in his home state.
While the Congress has been on the downslide for several years, the verdict was particularly galling for the Bharatiya Janata Party, which has been making concerted efforts to dent Naveen Patnaik’s popularity and emerge as the alternate political force there, though with little success.
The BJP had first hoped to capture Odisha last year when the Modi wave swept the country. Instead, it received a rude shock when the Modi juggernaut was effectively halted by Naveen Patnaik.
The BJP was again disappointed when it failed to dislodge Naveen Patnaik from the numero uno position in last week’s civic polls despite Prime Minister Narendra Modi making a special day trip to the state before the elections. Odisha, as it turned out, remained unimpressed with Modi. The BJD won absolute majority in all eight municipal bodies, while the BJP just about registered a blip on the electoral map.
Untainted by scandals
Ever since the BJP made gains in last year’s general elections and the subsequent assembly polls, its energetic and canny president Amit Shah has been strategising to enter into what has, so far, been unchartered territory for the saffron outfit.
Often described as a “cowbelt party”, the BJP is keen to shrug off this tag and become a pan-Indian party. It has identified the eastern states of Assam, West Bengal and Odisha where it believes there is scope for future growth. While the BJP has succeeded in making inroads in the first two states, it has not been able to shake off the four-term chief minister’s vice-like grip over Odisha even though it was able to grab a 27% vote share in last year’s general election.
The enigmatic Naveen Patnaik’s uninterrupted winning streak in defiance of anti-incumbency has baffled his opponents. Although a number of scams and scandals involving his government have emerged over the years, these have failed to tarnish Naveen Patnaik’s personal credibility. His appeal and charisma, both among the rural poor and the growing middle class, have remained intact.
As the BJP figures out ways to put down roots in Odisha, it is no accident that these efforts have coincided with growing murmurs about Naveen Patnaik being seriously ill. The chief minister’s health has been the subject of animated discussions in Bhubaneswar since last year’s electoral verdict.
A senior BJP minister, who had an official meeting with Naveen Patnaik, disclosed that a visibly ill chief minister sat through the discussion in stony silence while his accompanying officials did all the talking. Similar reports have been emanating from the state where it is said that it is not Naveen Patnaik but his personal secretary, senior IAS officer VK Pandian, who calls the shots and takes all critical policy decisions.
In fact, the Odisha grapevine is heavy with reports that Naveen Patnaik is grooming his nephew Arun Patnaik to take charge of the BJD. Arun Patnaik is the son of the legendary Biju Patnaik’s older son Prem Patnaik.
'BJP spreading canards'
Naveen Patnaik loyalists, however, dismiss these reports as nothing but wild rumours being spread by the BJP to create confusion in the BJD ranks. They maintain that the chief minister attends official meetings, is present during the assembly sessions and even campaigned in the recent civil elections. Local newspapers have made numerous attempts to access information about Naveen Patnaik’s health but have failed to come up with anything concrete.
But there has been no letup in the BJP campaign, they charge. Besides its efforts to woo the BJP cadres, the saffron party is in constant touch with senior BJD parliamentarians like Jay Panda and Pinaki Mishra. The two MPs were known for their proximity to Naveen Patnaik but are said to have fallen out with him. It is no secret in Delhi that the two have close links with the BJP.
On his part, the author-turned-politician appears oblivious to this chatter about his so-called failing health. Naveen Patnaik has remained happily ensconced in his home state ever since he abandoned his jet-setting lifestyle of fraternising with the likes of Mick Jagger and Jacqueline Kennedy to take on his father’s political legacy in 1997.
Ruling with ruthlessness
For somebody who had studiously shunned politics and did not speak Odia, Naveen Patnaik took to his new life like a duck to water. He was embraced by the people of Odisha as “Biju’s son” but has since created his own space over the 15-odd years he has been in power.
“He has evolved into a very cunning politician” remarked a Congress leader from Odisha. He has ensured his strong hold over the electorate by winning over all sections of society with specific schemes and projects. If the rural poor love him for the cheap rice scheme and the distribution of bicycles to schoolgirls, the middle class is equally taken in by him as they have benefited from the mining boom in the state.
But this benign image is only one side of the story. Odia Patnaik has been quick to put down dissensions in his party with surprising displays of ruthlessness. It is said the chief minister trusts very few people and likes to keep his Cabinet colleagues on tenterhooks as he is known to shift them around at short notice. He also does not hesitate to dump his ministers, even those who may believe to be on friendly terms with him, if he believes their conduct would tarnish his image.
While the Congress has been on the downslide for several years, the verdict was particularly galling for the Bharatiya Janata Party, which has been making concerted efforts to dent Naveen Patnaik’s popularity and emerge as the alternate political force there, though with little success.
The BJP had first hoped to capture Odisha last year when the Modi wave swept the country. Instead, it received a rude shock when the Modi juggernaut was effectively halted by Naveen Patnaik.
The BJP was again disappointed when it failed to dislodge Naveen Patnaik from the numero uno position in last week’s civic polls despite Prime Minister Narendra Modi making a special day trip to the state before the elections. Odisha, as it turned out, remained unimpressed with Modi. The BJD won absolute majority in all eight municipal bodies, while the BJP just about registered a blip on the electoral map.
Untainted by scandals
Ever since the BJP made gains in last year’s general elections and the subsequent assembly polls, its energetic and canny president Amit Shah has been strategising to enter into what has, so far, been unchartered territory for the saffron outfit.
Often described as a “cowbelt party”, the BJP is keen to shrug off this tag and become a pan-Indian party. It has identified the eastern states of Assam, West Bengal and Odisha where it believes there is scope for future growth. While the BJP has succeeded in making inroads in the first two states, it has not been able to shake off the four-term chief minister’s vice-like grip over Odisha even though it was able to grab a 27% vote share in last year’s general election.
The enigmatic Naveen Patnaik’s uninterrupted winning streak in defiance of anti-incumbency has baffled his opponents. Although a number of scams and scandals involving his government have emerged over the years, these have failed to tarnish Naveen Patnaik’s personal credibility. His appeal and charisma, both among the rural poor and the growing middle class, have remained intact.
As the BJP figures out ways to put down roots in Odisha, it is no accident that these efforts have coincided with growing murmurs about Naveen Patnaik being seriously ill. The chief minister’s health has been the subject of animated discussions in Bhubaneswar since last year’s electoral verdict.
A senior BJP minister, who had an official meeting with Naveen Patnaik, disclosed that a visibly ill chief minister sat through the discussion in stony silence while his accompanying officials did all the talking. Similar reports have been emanating from the state where it is said that it is not Naveen Patnaik but his personal secretary, senior IAS officer VK Pandian, who calls the shots and takes all critical policy decisions.
In fact, the Odisha grapevine is heavy with reports that Naveen Patnaik is grooming his nephew Arun Patnaik to take charge of the BJD. Arun Patnaik is the son of the legendary Biju Patnaik’s older son Prem Patnaik.
'BJP spreading canards'
Naveen Patnaik loyalists, however, dismiss these reports as nothing but wild rumours being spread by the BJP to create confusion in the BJD ranks. They maintain that the chief minister attends official meetings, is present during the assembly sessions and even campaigned in the recent civil elections. Local newspapers have made numerous attempts to access information about Naveen Patnaik’s health but have failed to come up with anything concrete.
But there has been no letup in the BJP campaign, they charge. Besides its efforts to woo the BJP cadres, the saffron party is in constant touch with senior BJD parliamentarians like Jay Panda and Pinaki Mishra. The two MPs were known for their proximity to Naveen Patnaik but are said to have fallen out with him. It is no secret in Delhi that the two have close links with the BJP.
On his part, the author-turned-politician appears oblivious to this chatter about his so-called failing health. Naveen Patnaik has remained happily ensconced in his home state ever since he abandoned his jet-setting lifestyle of fraternising with the likes of Mick Jagger and Jacqueline Kennedy to take on his father’s political legacy in 1997.
Ruling with ruthlessness
For somebody who had studiously shunned politics and did not speak Odia, Naveen Patnaik took to his new life like a duck to water. He was embraced by the people of Odisha as “Biju’s son” but has since created his own space over the 15-odd years he has been in power.
“He has evolved into a very cunning politician” remarked a Congress leader from Odisha. He has ensured his strong hold over the electorate by winning over all sections of society with specific schemes and projects. If the rural poor love him for the cheap rice scheme and the distribution of bicycles to schoolgirls, the middle class is equally taken in by him as they have benefited from the mining boom in the state.
But this benign image is only one side of the story. Odia Patnaik has been quick to put down dissensions in his party with surprising displays of ruthlessness. It is said the chief minister trusts very few people and likes to keep his Cabinet colleagues on tenterhooks as he is known to shift them around at short notice. He also does not hesitate to dump his ministers, even those who may believe to be on friendly terms with him, if he believes their conduct would tarnish his image.
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