In his sixth term as an MLA, Patnaik is expected to become the leader of the opposition. (Image iImage: PTI)
Arun Patnaik’s nephew, who occasionally visits Odisha always raises the question of whether he will succeed Naveen Patnaik, also got married today to a Dutchman.
Fifth chief minister Naveen Patnaik took oath in the 17th Odisha Assembly on Tuesday, but this time as another MLA. The 78-year-old leader had a smile for those who had gathered to greet him on his arrival, again without bureaucrats and Biju Janata Dal leader VK Pandian at the assembly premises. The eighth MLA, the most senior in the Odisha assembly Ranendra Pratap Swain acted as the pro-tem speaker and administered the oath to all the members. Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Keonjhar and chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi, as well as deputy CM KV Singh Deo and Pravati Parida and all other MLAs also took oath.
In his sixth term as an MLA, Patnaik is expected to become the leader of the opposition. BJD has 51 seats, CPI(M) has one, independent candidates got three while BJP got a historic victory crossing the majority mark with 78 seats in the recent elections.
After swearing in, Patnaik who had uninterrupted rule for twenty four years in Odisha, greeted all the newly elected members. He, in fact, walked to the treasury bench and greeted the new and 17th chief minister of Odisha Mohan Charan Majhi, and his two deputies. But before that, BJP’s Kantabanji MLA Laxman Bag stood up to greet Patnaik and introduce himself. Bag handed Patnaik the first defeat of his electoral career. However, in true democratic spirit, Patnaik also greeted Bag, “Oh, you beat me,” and chatted with him for a few minutes.
Political circles have been speculating about Naveen Patnaik’s successor, as he is still single. The Biju Janata Dal has grown into a strong regional force with Patnaik at the helm. In fact, the drubbing that the BJD got in the recent elections has been unanimously attributed to the very visible role that the former bureaucrat and leader of the BJD Pandian assumed in the campaign, almost eclipsing even the five-time chief minister and thus lending weight to the competition. the cost of which Tamilian will take over if BJD wins.
In this context, former chief minister Arun Patnaik’s nephew assumes importance. The younger Patnaik is the elder brother’s son of former Odisha chief minister Prem Patnaik and grandson of chief minister Biju Patnaik. Arun Patnaik, who occasionally visits Odisha always raises the question of whether he will succeed Naveen Patnaik, also married today in Amsterdam to Nadia, a person from the Netherlands. The news was shared on Instagram by Gayatri Patnaik’s sister, now a director at Beacon Press, who posted pictures and videos of the wedding including one of Arun and Nadia’s couple, and said, “There is no joy like brothers getting married.” Prem Patnaik, elder brother Naveen and an industrialist in Delhi, were also present at the wedding.After the loss of Naveen Patnaik’s sister Gita Mehta last year, the marriage was a joyous event for the family who prided themselves on privacy.
A day after the Naveen Patnaik-led BJD was defeated by the BJP, Arun Patnaik visited the outgoing chief minister in Bhubaneswar, fueling speculation that he would be anointed as his successor. This was after Patnaik made it clear that VK Pandian was not his successor. “I also know that there is criticism against Mr. Pandian. This is unfortunate. As an officer, he has done great work in many fields over the last ten years, helping with two cyclones and the Covid-19 outbreak in our country. After this good work, he retired from the bureaucracy and joined my party. And have contributed largely to doing a wonderful work. He is a man of integrity and honesty and should be remembered for all this,” said Patnaik. “Mr. Pandian joined the party, not holding any office, as you know he did not fight this election from any constituency and I always made it clear when he asked about my replacement, I made it clear that it was not Mr. Pandian. and I repeat that the people of Odisha will decide my successor.
Patnaik has won many hearts with the stoicism and grace he shows after defeat. In fact, when he took the stage during the swearing in of BJP Chief Minister Mohan Majhi, the audience who were there to support the new BJP government, welcomed him with applause. As he said, “I want to repeat that I am very grateful to the people of the state of Odisha for blessing me time and time again, showering me with blessings and allowing me to serve them. Besides, I think that we have tried doing an excellent job and should be proud of the government and the party.
Patnaik gracefully accepted defeat. “It is in the hands of the people. In a democracy, you know whether you win or lose. So, having been defeated after a long time, we must always take the verdict of the people gracefully. I have always said that four and a half crore people in Odisha are my family and I will continue to do so. serve him in any way,” he said.
With Arun Patnaik’s marriage to someone from the Netherlands, over time he preferred to pursue his political career in Odisha. Having been brought up outside Odisha, the marriage can be far more people of Odia roots. The question of who will be Naveen Patnaik’s successor is still open.
