Naveen Patnaik, a man with ‘two set of clothes’, is returning as CM for fifth time

As Naveen Patnaik returns for his fifth term as Odisha CM, ThePrint takes a look at the secret behind his consistent electoral run.

File photo of Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. | PTI

New Delhi: Odisha Chief Minister and Biju Janata Dal (BJD) supremo Naveen Patnaik is set to return to power for a fifth consecutive term with his party comfortably ahead in the assembly elections.

The BJD is leading in 108 seats of Odisha’s 147, while its closest competitor Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is leading in 25 seats, show CNN-News18 trends.

Patnaik’s latest electoral victory makes him one of the longest-serving chief ministers in the country, after Sikkim CM Pawan Kumar Chamling who has been in power for a little over 24 years, among others.

Having entered politics after his father Biju Patnaik’s death in 1997, Patnaik has gone from being a reluctant politician to taking complete control of his state.

As Patnaik moves on to his fifth term, ThePrint takes a look at the secret behind the Odisha’s strongman consistent electoral run.

A simple man

Despite his four previous terms as CM, Odias still get swayed by Patnaik, perceived to be a simple person who ‘has just two set of clothes and wears slippers’.

A common refrain across towns and villages, from Bhubaneswar to Mayurbhanj, Balasore to Bhadrak and Kendrapara, is that the CM doesn’t have any lobh (greed).

Political analysts say it’s this carefully cultivated image of a simple man with limited needs that has made Naveen Patnaik tick with the Odias.

“The public perception of Naveen Patnaik’s conduct, his integrity has remained untainted over the years. In Indian politics this is valued and that is what has appealed to the Odia voters,” former Odisha chief secretary Jugal Kishore Mohapatra told ThePrint.

Professor R.K. Satapathy of North-Eastern Hill University said this image of simplicity is a politically cultivated one.

His popularity remains high in the rural belt where 83 per cent of Odisha’s population lives, especially women voters.

Loyal vote base

Over its 15-year term, the BJD government has launched close to 60 schemes targeting the disadvantaged, including the Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation (KALIA) scheme, the Madhubabu Pension Yojana, and the MAMTA scheme for pregnant women, among others.

Women and poor, who form a majority of the beneficiaries of these schemes, continue to be Patnaik’s most loyal voter base.

The schemes, political observers say, have touched every category of the disadvantaged. From women to the old and disabled, farmers to fisherman, youths to folk artists, newborn to students, hardly anyone has been left behind.

“The schemes launched by the Naveen Patnaik government over the years have clicked with the masses. He has brought about positive changes in the state in terms of ensuring growth, reducing poverty and social welfare measures,” said Mohapatra.

The 48.4 per cent women voters in the state form a loyal constituent of Patnaik’s vote base. The BJD has launched several schemes targeting women under its Mission Shakti programme. Over 7 lakh self-help women groups was set up under the programme, seen as a big move to empower women.

Not knowing Odia — a strength, not weakness

Patnaik’s success despite not knowing the local language, Odia, has become a part of folklore in the state. This might puzzle politicians and political observers, but hasn’t been able to dent his image among people who don’t see it as a weakness.

Analysts say people in the state connect emotionally with him.

“Not knowing Odia has in fact gone in his favour. There is this perception that because he does not understand the language he can stay away from any controversy,” said Prof Satapathy.

Voters in the state think he has kept himself away from any kind of antics because he doesn’t understand the language. The fact that Patnaik hasn’t found himself in any corruption case so far has also bolstered his clean image.