Interview Times NAVEEN PATNAIK
In March, Naveen Patnaik achieved a remarkable milestone: 23 years as Chief Minister of Odisha, with the upcoming general election set to determine if he will continue his reign as one of India’s longest-serving leaders. Currently ranked as the third longest-serving Chief Minister in the country, Naveen has clocked up an impressive 23 years and 14 days in office. While there are two former Chief Ministers who have served longer than Naveen, Pawan Kumar Chamling of Sikkim (24 years and 166 days) and Jyoti Basu of West Bengal (23 years and 138 days), the question on everyone’s lips is whether anyone can topple this political giant.
Sixth General Election
Despite facing his sixth general election as CM of Odisha, there is a genuine public perception that Naveen will easily return to power. Is he truly invincible, or is there simply a lack of political will to challenge his leadership? Thus far, Naveen has been virtually untouchable. Under his leadership, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has never lost an election, winning every local and general election with comfortable margins. With no political opposition that can seriously threaten Naveen and the BJD, it seems they will once again emerge victorious in 2024.
So what makes Naveen so invincible and unstoppable? Why do the people of Odisha continue to vote for him, even after 23 years in power? Why has there been no anti-incumbency or political fatigue?
The answer lies in Naveen’s ability to demolish the idea of anti-incumbency and instead turn it to his advantage as pro-incumbency.
Perhaps Naveen is the only politician in the world who is absolutely poor in public communication. He is not a good public speaker, nor does he communicate with his party cadres daily. Instead, he runs his office like a CEO, with the assistance of a capable and committed team. His politics is out of the box, with no scope for long and boring speeches, no Durbar, and no direct contact with his foot soldiers. He is like a secret CCTV camera, watching over everything and everyone, but no one can locate his actual centre of power. Despite his poor oratory skills and contactless politics of absence, he was democratically elected by the people with a huge majority. No one, not even his ministers and party colleagues, can claim to be close to the Chief Minister.
Naveen’s staying away from the constant public gaze and living the life of a recluse makes him a politician of extraordinary merit. In public perception, he is an honest man who lives a life of austerity. Curiously, he still talks to his people in English or Hindi, ignoring Odia, the language of the masses. But this only endears him more to the people.
While there may be many questions about Naveen’s success rate as the chief executive of the state, these questions get muted when they go to the public for scrutiny. Undisputedly, Odisha loves to vote for him, believing that there is no alternative to Naveen Patnaik
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STORY BY : KEDAR MISHRA
