Naveen Patnaik was born on 16 October 1946 in Cuttack to Biju Patnaik, former Chief Minister of Odisha, and his Punjabi wife, Gyan. He was educated at the Welham Boys' School in Dehradun, and later the prestigious The Doon School. After that he attended Delhi University, and he qualified for Bachelor of Arts degree. Patnaik is a writer and had for most part of his youth been away from both politics and Odisha, but after his father Biju Patnaik's demise, he entered politics in 1997 and a year later founded the Biju Janata Dal, named after Biju Patnaik, which won the state election with the BJP as its alliance and formed the government in which Patnaik became Chief Minister. His mild mannerism, "Stand against corruption" and "Pro-poor policies" have resulted in the development of a huge support base in Odisha, which has voted him to power in the last five consecutive terms. Like his father, he has managed to control the bureaucracy and transformed it into a machine for the development of the state.
Political career
After the death of his father Biju Patnaik, leader of the Janata Dal, he was elected as a member to the 11th Lok Sabha in the by-election from Aska Parliamentary Constituency in Odisha, India. He was a member of the Consultative Committee of Ministry of Steel & Mines, Member of Standing Committee on Commerce, and Member Library Committee of Parliament. A year later the Janta Dal split and Patnaik founded the Biju Janta Dal which in alliance with the BJP led National Democratic Alliance performed well and Patnaik was selected the Union Minister for Mines in the cabinet of A.B. Vajpayee.
Elections 2000
In 2000 Assembly election, BJD won the majority of seats in alliance with the BJP in the Odisha Assembly elections, Patnaik resigned from the Union cabinet and was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Odisha.
Elections 2004
BJP led NDA lost the general elections in 2004, however, the coalition led by Naveen Patnaik emerged victorious in the state legislative elections and he continued as the Chief Minister. During this tenure, the friction between the ruling partners was getting more and more apparent, especially after the killing of Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati in the Kandhamal district of Odisha in 2007–2008 and also active participation of Bajrang Dal in the riots that hit Kandhamal region.
Elections 2009
In the run-up to the polls for the Lok Sabha and Legislative Assembly of Odishaelections in 2009, BJD walked out of the NDA after severing ties with the BJP and joined the nascent Third Front constituted mainly by the Left Front and few regional parties. He did it after severely criticising BJP's involvement in Kandhamal anti-Christian riots during 2007. The BJD won a resounding victory in both the Vidhan Sabha as well as the Lok Sabha elections in 2009, winning 14 out of 21 Lok Sabha seats and 103 of the 147 assembly seats and was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Odisha on 21 May 2009 for the third consecutive term.
Despite a strong BJP wave across the country, the Biju Janata Dal, under the leadership of Naveen Patnaik won as many as 112 seats out of 146 in the Legislative Assembly of Odisha and 12 out of 21 Lok Sabha seats in 2019 Indian general elections
Language
Patnaik spent most of his early days away from Odisha, so he has problems with writing and speaking fluently in Odia language. He is the only chief minister of India who does not speak the regional language of his state and because of this he has been facing severe criticism from his opponents. However, he possesses great mastery over Hindi, French, Punjabi and English. At rallies, he delivers Odia speeches written in Roman alphabet. A book named "Naveen Patnaik" was authored by Ruben Banerjee
Accolades
Recognitions
The United Nations in 2013, felicitated Naveen by presenting a citation for his government’s handling of Cyclone Phailin which hit Odisha in October 2013. The body also announced that state’s efforts would be highlighted as a model for disaster management programmes globally. Naveen was also invited by the international body to attend the 2015 Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction, which was held in Sendai, Japan from 14 to 18 March 2015.
The United Nations in 2019, complimented Naveen for his government's proposal of reserving 33% of seats for women in the National Parliament as well as in the state's Legislative Assembly.
Writings
A Second Paradise: Indian Courtly Life 1590–1947 – Published in India, England and US
A Desert Kingdom: The People of Bikaner – Published in India, England and US
