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Journalism of Courage
A recent letter by Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on preparations for the 107th birth anniversary of his father and two-time CM Biju Patnaik on March 5 has used the slogan “Naveen Odisha”, or new Odisha.
This is the first instance of Naveen, who has been at the helm for two decades, using his name in a political campaign. Until recently, the BJD’s messaging was centred around Biju Patnaik.
The letter, dated February 27, said BJD workers across Odisha would take a pledge to work towards a prosperous and empowered “Naveen Odisha”. It also said party members would resolve to be disciplined members of the party, strengthen party unity, serve the people of Odisha and achieve the state’s interests.
Naveen, who studied at the Doon School in Dehradun and has lived abroad, entered politics following his father’s death on April 17, 1997. A group of Biju loyalists and Janata Dal leaders formed the BJD on December 26 that year to take forward the legacy of the two-time CM and persuaded Naveen to join politics.
The BJD was not born out of a political movement, but established itself as one of the most successful regional parties in India.
Biju’s legacy is believed to be the factor that helped the BJD remain in power since March 2000. Over the years, the party’s political rhetoric has been around the former CM. Over a dozen schemes as well as important establishments in Odisha are also named after the former CM.
BJD national spokesperson Prasanna Acharya told The Indian Express, “Under the leadership of Naveen Patnaik, Odisha has achieved rapid progress in various sectors. Be it in food production, building infrastructure, attracting investments and promoting sports, there has been a transformation in the past two decades and marching towards a new Odisha.”
On March 5, the party plans to hold cycle rallies for five km across the 147 Assembly constituencies with the participation of at least 200 party workers, along with public meetings on Biju Patnaik’s role in Odisha’s development and welfare measures of Naveen’s government. It will also organise a Mahila Samabesh (women’s convention) starting March 8. Women and self-help groups run by women are a crucial constituency for the party.
Naveen will tour western Odisha to inaugurate the Sohela-Nuapada stretch of the Biju Expressway. He will also conduct multiple roadshows in Bargarh, Nuapada and Kalahandi districts in west Odisha. “There has been huge enthusiasm among people to see and listen to the CM, whose visit will have a significant impact,” said Acharya.
The CM’s frequent visits to west Odisha, where the BJP won all five Lok Sabha seats in 2019, are being viewed as an attempt to bolster the BJD’s base in the region that has 35 Assembly constituencies.
“The leaders have been asked to remain prepared for elections. It is BJD’s strategy to prepare in advance for every election which could also be a reason behind the party’s successive electoral victories,” said a party leader.
