Biography
On October 16, 1946, in Cuttack, Biju Patnaik, the former chief minister of Odisha, and Gyan Devi welcomed Naveen into the world. He received his education at Kirori Mal College, The Doon School, and Welham Boys' School, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts. After his father's passing in 1997, Patnaik—who had previously been politically apathetic—entered the field and founded the Biju Janata Dal. Five consecutive terms as Chief Minister have resulted from his anti-corruption attitude and leadership. Known for leading a modest life, he has won the public's support and changed the bureaucracy in Odisha. Along with having an older sister, writer Gita Mehta, he is also a founder member of the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage.
Political career
Naveen Patnaik was elected from Aska in a by-election to the 11th Lok Sabha following the death of his father Biju Patnaik. Before departing from the Janata Dal in December 1997 to found the Biju Janata Dal, he sat on a number of parliamentary committees. Due to the new party's strong performance and its alliance with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance, Patnaik was appointed to the position of Union Minister for Mines in the government of A. B. Vajpayee.
Elections 2000
In coalition with the BJP, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) secured a majority of seats in the 2000 Assembly election. After that, Naveen Patnaik took an oath of office as the Chief Minister of Odisha and resigned from the Union government.
Elections 2004
Naveen Patnaik's coalition won the state legislative elections in 2004, and he continued as Chief Minister even though the BJP-led NDA lost the 2004 general elections. Especially after the 2007–2008 Kandhamal riots that followed Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati's assassination, tensions among coalition partners escalated.
Elections 2009
Naveen Patnaik's BJD defected from the NDA and joined the Third Front before of the 2009 elections, citing the BJP's complicity in the 2007 Kandhamal violence. With 14 of the 21 Lok Sabha seats and 103 of the 147 assembly seats, the BJD won handily. On May 21, 2009, Patnaik took the oath of office as Odisha's chief minister for a third term.
Elections 2014
Biju Janata Dal, led by Naveen Patnaik, secured a significant victory in the 2014 elections by winning 117 of 147 seats in the Odisha Vidhan Sabha and 20 of 21 Lok Sabha seats.
Elections 2019
In the 2019 elections, Naveen Patnaik's Biju Janata Dal won 12 of the 21 Lok Sabha seats and 112 of the 146 assembly seats, despite a big BJP wave.
Language
Critics have out that Naveen Patnaik fails to write and speak Odia fluently, having spent a large portion of his early life outside of the state. Being non-fluent in his state's language, he is the sole chief minister from India. But he speaks Hindi, French, Punjabi, and English well and knows enough Odia to get by, even though he frequently gives speeches in Odia that are printed in the Roman script.
Recognitions
In 2013, the UN recognized Odisha's efforts as a global disaster management model by awarding Naveen Patnaik for his government's handling of Cyclone Phailin. In 2015, he received an invitation to Japan for the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction. The UN applauded his plan in 2019 to set aside 33% of seats in the National Parliament and the Legislative Assembly of Odisha for women.