Berhampur: As the country and especially Odisha celebrated its legendary former Chief Minister Biju Patnaik’s birth anniversary Sunday, Ganjam district, where he first stepped into electoral politics, remembers the multi-hyphenate leader.
Biju Babu was twice elected as an MLA of Congress party from Ganjam district. In post independence era, he was elected as an MLA from Jagannathprasad Assembly segment in 1951-52 general elections and later from Sorada Assembly segment in 1957 elections as a Congress candidate.
Later, he shifted base and was elected as an MLA from Choudwar Assembly segment as a Congress candidate in 1961-62 elections and became the Chief Minister of Odisha for the first time.
However, his stint in power was cut short as he left his post after joining the Kamaraj plan of Indian National Congress. Late Biren Mitra became the next Chief Minister of Odisha after Biju Patnaik. Senior citizens in Ganjam district’s Sorada and Jagannathprasad areas remembered him on his anniversary.
Biju Patnaik’s native village was Nuagaon near Bhanjanagar in Ganjam district. His father late Lakshmi Narayan Patnaik was born in this village for which he chose Ganjam district to start his political career. The Communist Party and the Ganatantra Parishad was the main opposition party in Ganjam district with which the Congress Party had to lock horns with. He won from the Aska Lok Sabha segment on a Janata Dal ticket in 1996 election. He, however, passed away in 1997 a year after winning from Aska.
The Aska Lok Sabha seat became vacant following Biju Patnaik’s death. The bypoll to Aska Lok Sabha seat was held in 1997 in which his son Naveen Patnaik contesting from Janata Dal was elected to Lok Sabha on a huge margin of votes and started his political career.
After the by-election, Biju Babu’s son Naveen was elected to Lok Sabha in 1998 and 1999 from Biju Janata Dal and twice became a Union minister.
In 2000 Assembly elections, he resigned from his MP post and was elected as an MLA from Hinjilicut Assembly segment. He went on winning from this Assembly segment for the fifth time in a row and became the Chief Minister of Odisha for the fifth consecutive time. As a result, he has become a much-talked-about personality in national politics scaling newer heights with each passing day like his illustrious father.
PNN