Once considered as a political novice Biju Janata Dal (BJD) president Naveen Patnaik was sworn in as Odisha Chief Minister for the fourth straight term. Patnaik made his political debut only after his father’s death in 1997. He became a Lok Sabha member winning the by-election from Aska. A year later Naveen floated the Biju Janata Dal, a regional party named after his father and entered into alliance with BJP to become a cabinet minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government in 1998.
In 2000, when the BJD-BJP alliance was voted back to power in Odisha Patnaik was made chief minister. The combine retained power after 2004. However, the BJD-BJP soured in the aftermath of Kandhamal riots 2008 and Patnaik severed the alliance with the saffron party on the eve of the 2009 general elections. The move not only strengthened Naveen's secular credentials, but also propelled BJD's poll prospects in 2009 when it won 14 of the 21 Lok Sabha seats and 103 of the 147 seats in the Odisha Assembly.
Since 2009, Patnaik's party witnessed many upheavals including an alleged coup bid, but the BJD supremo overcame all adversities to finally register an unprecedented record victory both in 2014 Assembly election and General Election. In the Assembly election his party won 117 of the 147 Assembly seats and in Lok Sabha polls 20 of the 21 Lok Sabha seats.
A writer, who also dabbled in arts after completing his education, Patnaik was a founder-member of Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH).
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