Bhubaneswar: He could have etched his name in the annals of India’s electoral history as the country’s longest-serving CM if he had, yet again, won the assembly polls in Odisha this time. But Naveen Patnaik – the man who is said to have been a reluctant politician who had no intention to join politics after his father Biju Patnaik’s death 27 years ago – missed the milestone by a whisker.
Trumped by BJP after two-and-a-half-decades at the helm, Naveen fell short of former Sikkim CM Pawan Chamling’s term of 24 years and 165 days from 1994 to 2019. He could have gone past the post in Aug, had Naveen won this time.

Naveen Patnaik, who never lost an election in his career, tasted his first defeat after losing the Kantabanji assembly seat, one of the two segments he was contesting from, apart from his home turf Hinjili. A five-time MLA and three-time Lok Sabha MP, Naveen won Hinjili for the sixth straight time since 2000. By defeating Naveen, BJP candidate Laxman Bag tasted perhaps his biggest win in his maiden poll battle.

Naveen and BJD’s defeat shows that people did not endorse Naveen’s populist measures, such as cash incentives for farmers, youth and women, besides the promise of free electricity for middle class.
His governance model and work in health, education, and women empowerment failed to boost the party’s prospects.
Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana, which the BJD projected as superior to and more inclusive than the Centre’s Ayushman Bharat, failed to make a mark. BJP had been criticising Naveen for not implementing the central scheme and “depriving” the people of Odisha of its benefits.
As BJP gets set to form the govt, the Odisha upset also puts a question mark on the acceptability of VK Pandian, a former IAS officer who was considered by many as Naveen’s successor.
The 5T model of governance – which stands for teamwork, technology, transparency, transformation, and time – implemented during Naveen’s fifth term with Pandian at the helm, is likely to be dumped.
Patnaik’s entry into politics was somewhat unplanned if not unintentional, following the death of his father, Biju Patnaik, in 1997. At the time, various politicians were vying for power, exploiting brave man Biju’s legacy while refusing to accept each other’s leadership. It was only after much persuasion that Naveen decided to step into politics. Since then, he showcased his strong hold over the state’s political landscape.
It remains to be seen whether Naveen will recover from this defeat and once again galvanise his party. If not, who does he choose as his successor given the fact that he has health issues to address.
An entire generation of men and women in their 40s and below, who have only seen the BJD and Naveen’s govt since they voted for the first time, will witness a different brand of politics now.