Biju Janata Dal (BJD) supremo Naveen Patnaik filed his nomination for the presidency of the party on Thursday, April 17, 2025, aiming to secure his ninth consecutive term as the leader.
The veteran leader, who has been a cornerstone of Odisha politics for over two decades, submitted his nomination papers as the sole candidate for the position, reinforcing his unchallenged leadership within the party. The BJD is set to officially declare the president’s name on April 19, 2025, though Patnaik’s re-election appears to be a formality given his long-standing dominance.
Naveen Patnaik, who served as Odisha’s Chief Minister from 2000 to 2024, has been instrumental in shaping the state’s political and developmental landscape. Under his leadership, the BJD has maintained a strong grip on Odisha politics, with notable achievements including a landslide victory in the recent three-tier Panchayat elections, where the party secured 766 out of 853 Zilla Parishad seats—an unprecedented feat for any political party in India.
Patnaik’s tenure as Chief Minister was marked by significant growth in various sectors, with Odisha achieving a robust economic growth rate of 7.8% in real terms during 2022-23, surpassing the national average of 7%. His governance model, rooted in people-centric policies and cooperative federalism, has been lauded for its inclusivity. Notably, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Odisha, under Patnaik’s leadership, managed to curb the crisis effectively while keeping the state’s growth trajectory intact—a testament to his administrative acumen.
The BJD, founded in 1997 to uphold the legacy of Naveen’s father, Biju Patnaik—a revered leader and former Chief Minister of Odisha—has consistently focused on regional development and Odia identity. Over the years, the party has navigated complex political waters, including a significant split with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 2009 over communal issues, which solidified its independent stance in Odisha politics.
As Naveen Patnaik embarks on his ninth term as BJD president, political analysts see this as a continuation of his legacy of strong leadership and good governance. With the party’s organisational elections underway, all eyes are on how Patnaik will lead the BJD into the future, especially as Odisha gears up for upcoming political challenges.
