The Aryavarth Express
Agency (Odisha): Biju Janata Dal (BJD) chief and former Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik held a meeting with newly elected party MLAs on June 5, where he emphasized the significant reduction in the state’s poverty rate during his tenure. Patnaik noted that the poverty rate declined from 70% to 10% over the 24 years he held office.
Addressing the newly-elected MLAs, Patnaik stated, “When I first became the CM, 70 percent of the people of Odisha were living below the poverty line, which has now been reduced to 10 percent. Our efforts in the agriculture and irrigation sectors and women’s empowerment have led to this achievement. We have nothing to be ashamed of.”
Patnaik expressed pride in the BJD’s service to Odisha over the past 24 years and affirmed the party’s commitment to continue working for the state’s betterment. Earlier in the day, Patnaik resigned from his position following the BJD’s defeat in the assembly polls.
In the recent elections, the BJP secured 78 out of 147 assembly seats, while the BJD won 51 seats. The Congress won 14 constituencies, CPI (M) secured one, and three independent candidates emerged victorious. These results marked the end of Patnaik’s 24-year tenure as Chief Minister.
Newly elected MLA Kalikesh Narayan Singh Deo commented, “We discussed the 24 years of good work of the Naveen Patnaik government and we will continue to work in the same manner for the betterment of Odisha.”
MLA Ramakant Bhoi added, “We had discussions about rectifying our shortcomings and mistakes and discussing the future strategy. We have done development work but we should respect the opinion of the public.”
MLA Pratap Keshari Deb also shared insights from the meeting, stating, “Today we had our first meeting with our party president, Naveen Patnaik, after the election. The party president has asked that there be an in-house discussion as to where we went wrong and that we need to be united.”
The BJD, which has ruled Odisha since 1997, lost to the BJP, ending Patnaik’s long reign as Chief Minister. The BJP performed well in both the state assembly and the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, where they secured 20 out of 21 parliamentary seats in Odisha, with Congress winning the remaining seat.
Naveen Patnaik, who entered state politics unexpectedly through the BJD—a party named after his father, former Odisha CM Biju Patnaik—began his political journey with a victory in the 1998 Lok Sabha by-poll. He became Chief Minister after the BJD’s success in the 2000 Assembly elections, forming a coalition with the BJP.
As the second longest-serving Chief Minister after Sikkim’s Pawan Kumar Chamling, Patnaik’s tenure concluded with the recent elections, where the BJP won 240 Lok Sabha seats, significantly lower than their 2019 tally of 303. The Congress made strong gains, winning 99 seats, while the INDIA bloc crossed the 230 mark, posing stiff competition and defying predictions.