Patnaik’s BJD remains people’s top choice even after two decades in power

Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik and his Biju Janata Dal(BJD) continue to enjoy the confidence and support of the common people in the state even after remaining in power for 22 long years. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress, the two major opposition political forces in the state, have so far miserably failed to create any problem for the ruling regional outfit. In fact, the popularity of the 75-year-old five-time chief minister and his party is growing by the day. This was clearly visible in the manner in which the BJD swept the recently held back-to-back Panchayat-Zilla Parishad and municipal elections in the state.

According to observers, the BJD’s victory in the twin polls was not a landslide in favour of the regional outfit but much more than that. Have a look at the figures. Of the 852 Zilla Parishad seats across the state as many as 766 were captured by the nominees of the Patnaik led party. The BJP and the Congress were far behind, winning only 42 and 37 seats respectively. BJD formed the Zilla Parishads in all the 30 districts easily.

Similarly in the municipal elections, of the 108 urban local bodies as many as 76 went in favour of the BJD. They included three prestigious municipal corporations of capital city Bhubaneswar and the two important business hubs of Berhampur and Cuttack. BJD supported independent candidates managed to pocket majority of the Panchayat Samitis across the state.

“It was certainly a tsunami like victory for BJD,” a political commentator was heard saying while participating in a post-election debate in one of the local TV news channels. Candidates fought Zilla Parishad and municipal elections on the tickets of the political parties while Panchayat polls were held on non-party basis.

Observers believe that a key factor behind BJD’s repeated success in all kinds of elections in Odisha has been Patnaik’s personal clean image, which has already made him one of the most popular chief ministers in the entire country. To keep his spotless image intact he has worked on two fronts -- firstly keeping a safe distance from corruption charges and secondly not promoting “family politics”.

Before occupying the chief minister’s post for the first time in 2000, Patnaik, also the founder president of the BJD, was a member of the Vajpayee cabinet at the Centre for almost two years. Not a single personal corruption charge had ever surfaced against him though he has been holding powerful positions since his foray into politics in1997.

Ensuring entry of family members into politics is a common practice adopted by majority, if not all, of the successful politicians in the country. There are even instances of unmarried political leaders occupying powerful positions promoting their close relatives for a successful career in politics.

A case in point is West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee who has already ensured a successful and smooth political entry for her nephew Abhisek Banarjee, presently a Lok Sabha member.

But Patnaik is different. He has two elder siblings – a brother and a sister who reside outside Odisha with their respective families. And they seldom visit the state. Sometime back, a speculation did the rounds of state’s political and media circles that the bachelor BJD chief may induct his nephew (brother’s son) into the party to be his successor. However, the speculation was vehemently rejected by Patnaik and his office. “My successor will be chosen by the Odisha people,” the chief minister quipped.

Though not a cadre-based party like the CPM, over the years the BJD has successfully managed to establish an organisational network in each and every district with the help of a few young party leaders loyal to Patnaik which immensely helps the regional outfit during the elections. Even leaders of the opposition BJP and Congress, during private conversations, do not hesitate to concede that BJD’s poll management is one of the best in the country.

On governance front, the Patnaik administration has implemented several schemes for the benefit of the common people, particularly poor and downtrodden that have become extremely popular and helps BJD during the time of elections. An example is the Biju Swashthya Kalyan Yojona(BSKY), a health scheme which ensures cashless treatment for card holders in costly private and corporate hospitals both inside as well as outside the state.

Under the scheme, a female beneficiary can avail treatment costing up to Rs 10 lakh per annum and for male patients the amount is capped at Rs 5 lakh.

The scheme, which was introduced last year, benefits about 70 lakh families in the state. “During the recently held Panchayat and municipal elections BSKY turned out to be a game changer. It did what KALIA had done for us during the 2019 Lok Sabha and assembly elections,” a senior BJD leader, who did not want to be quoted, said.

KALIA (Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation), a direct cash transfer scheme for farmers introduced in the state on the eve of the 2019 twin polls is still very much popular among the farmers.

Odd it may sound but both the opposition parties, BJP and Congress, also played a role in helping the BJD to strengthen its position in the state. The high commands of the two national parties have never made any serious attempt so far to grow and push a leader who could pose a challenge or threat to Naveen Patnaik.