Naveen Completes Silver Jubilee in Public Life

Bhubaneswar (Reporters Today Bureau): Legendary  Biju Patnaik’s younger son Naveen Patnaik Wednesday achieved another milestone—completing 25 years in public life. On June 1, 1997 he was elected as a Member of Parliament from Aska Lok Sabha segment in Ganjam district – a seat held by his father.

He was elected as a Janata Dal candidate, before the formation of Bjiu Janata Dal (BJD), which continued to remain in power since 2000. Without any experience in politics, Naveen was convinced to take up the legacy of his legendary father following which he made entry into politics reluctantly.

The Biju Janata Dal’s (BJD) founding president Naveen Patnaik is perhaps the only second generation politician in the country who hasn’t been groomed by the family for a career in politics. The senior Patnaik, who became the chief minister of Odisha twice, never entertained any of his family members entering politics. However, then only 50-year-old, Naveen Patnaik succumbed to family pressure and joined politics and was elected as an MP before becoming a member of the Cabinet led by Atal Behari Vajpayee.

Taking to twitter, Patnaik said, “It has been a nostalgic journey in public life. 25 years back on this day, I was elected as an MP from my state. Gratitude to my 4.5 cr family for their enduring love & unwavering support. #JaiJagannath.” Patnaik also tagged a stanza from Swabhab Kabi Gangadhar Meher’s Odia poem which means that life has been successful by serving people. “A river never fails to keep the people who live by its side,” Meher’s poem said.

After serving as a Cabinet Minister for steel, mines and coal at Centre, Patnaik launched BJD in the name of his father Biju Patnaik and went to elections in an alliance with the BJP in the 2000 Assembly Elections. Later he dropped BJP ahead of the 2009 General Elections and led the BJD to victory in successive elections and still continuing.