Bhubaneswar: Veteran politician and five-time Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik became the second longest-serving Chief Minister in India Saturday.
Naveen broke the record of Jyoti Basu, who served as the Chief Minister of West Bengal from June 21, 1977 to November 5, 2000. Basu served as the Chief Minister of West Bengal for 23 years, 138 days while Naveen has completed 23 years and 138 days in the office of Chief Minister of Odisha as of July 22, 2023.
Notably, former Chief Minister of Sikkim Pawan Kumar Chamling holds the distinction of being the longest-serving Chief Minister in India. Chamling served as Chief Minister of Sikkim from December 12, 1994 to May 27, 2019.
Naveen is also the third Indian Chief Minister after Pawan Chamling and Jyoti Basu to win five consecutive terms as Chief Minister. If he wins the next election in 2024, he would be very close to becoming the longest-serving Chief Minister in India.
“Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik will surpass late Jyoti Basu to set the record. It is a matter of pride for all of us. I am sure he will break the record of another Chief Minister after winning the 2024 election for the sixth consecutive time,” said BJD MLA Rajkishore Das.
Naveen has been serving as the Chief Minister of Odisha since March 5, 2000. The BJD has won Odisha Assembly polls five times consecutively in 2000, 2004, 2009, 2014 and 2019 two of which (2000 and 2004) in alliance with BJP.
PNN