Kamna Arora
Naveen Patnaik, the son of legendary Biju Patnaik, is the Chief Minister of Odisha. Naveen entered into politics after the death of his father and has proved himself to be one of the country`s strongest leaders. He was elected as member of the 11th Lok Sabha in by-election from Aska Parliamentary Constituency in 1996 on a Janata Dal ticket. He formed Biju Janata Dal Party in Odisha in 1998. Subsequently, he became the Chief Minister of the state in 2000 with the backing of the Bharatiya Janata Party and has been ruling since.
His party was earlier a part of the National Democratic Alliance.
Since Patnaik is keeping himself away from BJP-led NDA, Congress-led UPA and Third Front, it will be interesting to see with whom he shakes hands with after the elections.
In case of a fractured mandate, the Odisha Chief Minister, whom his Tamil Nadu counterpart J Jayalalithaa fondly calls `brother`, can join the Third Front and play a major role in forming the government at Centre. If the BJP wins less than 200 Lok Sabha seats, then he may extend support to NDA on the condition that some other BJP leader than Narendra Modi be made the prime minister. If the Congress-led UPA is close to forming the government, the BJD might extend issue-based outside support.
The bachelor politician`s life has seen transformations from a socialite to a socialist to a politician. Born on October 16, 1946 at Cuttack, Naveen Patnaik did his schooling at Welham Preparatory School for Boys in Dehradun and then at The Doon School. After graduating in arts from Delhi University, he opened a boutique, Psychedelhi, at the Oberoi Hotel in Delhi. It sold clothing to London stores.
Popularly known to his friends as Pappu, Naveen is friends with Jacqueline Onassis, Mick Jagger, Martand Singh, Ayesha Jaipur. Rajiv Gandhi was three years senior to Naveen Patnaik in Doon school, while Sanjay was his classmate.
His journey from Aurangzeb Road house in Delhi to Aska in Odisha is remarkable as he decided to inherit responsibilities of his father than privileges.
The Biju Janata Dal split from its 11-year-old political ally, the Bharatiya Janata Pary, in March 2009 over seat-sharing arrangements. Communal conflict in Kandhamal district in which 38 people, mostly Christians, were killed was also another reason. The BJD-BJP combine had ruled Odisha for two consecutive terms. However, the Patnaik’s magic was enough to sail BJD and push it to victory in the subsequent polls.
The author of three coffee table books - “A Second Paradise”, “A Desert Kingdom”, and “The Garden of Life”, Naveen Patnaik has maintained a clean image and is known for his simplicity and devotion to work.
