BJD launches month-long padayatra to reconnect with voters after 2024 defeat
For the first time since its formation in 1997, the BJD is conducting such a large-scale outreach without the physical presence of its president Naveen Patnaik.
Bhubaneswar, Oct. 9: Nearly 14 months after losing power for the first time in 24 years, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Thursday embarked on a month-long Jan Sampark Padayatra across Odisha — an exercise apparently aimed at reconnecting with voters, rebuilding its grassroots network, and challenging the BJP government’s narrative of “development and change.”
The padayatra initiative launched on the occasion the birth anniversary of of Utkalmani Gopabandhu Das, an iconic leader of Odisha who dedicated his whole life for service of the poor in the early 20th century, — marked a defining moment for the regional party, which is still coming to terms with its electoral defeat in 2024. The padayatra is being projected as both a mass contact and image-rebuilding campaign, but its subtext runs deeper — a test of whether the BJD can reinvent itself as a resilient opposition force under the towering yet ageing shadow of Naveen Patnaik.
For the first time since its formation in 1997, the BJD is conducting such a large-scale outreach without the physical presence of its president Naveen Patnaik. Naveen Patnaik, who once effortlessly drew crowds with his understated charisma, has chosen to remain absent from the padayatra, citing health and scheduling constraints.
Yet, his influence still looms large. Senior leaders claim that “Naveen Babu’s name alone” continues to pull the crowds. “Our leader has always said the BJD belongs to the people of Odisha. Though he is not here, the love and respect he commands are evident in people’s participation,” said senior BJD leader Ashok Panda.
The sight of a mass movement carrying on without its central figure, however, reflected the transition challenges within the party. Analysts viewed that while Patnaik’s popularity somehow remained intact; the BJD’s organisational machinery had grown heavily centralised during his long rule. Recreating that connection with the electorate, now without the advantage of state power, will be an uphill task.
The padayatra—literally a “walk to connect”—is intended to showcase the party’s continued relevance and highlight what it calls the “failures” of the Mohan Charan Majhi-led BJP government in fulfilling its promises. Leaders are expected to interact with citizens, listen to grievances, and remind people of the BJD’s “model of inclusive governance.”
But observers question whether the campaign will translate into a genuine political resurgence or remain a ritualistic show of strength.
“A party that governed for nearly a quarter century must now learn opposition politics. Without introspection on why it lost touch with younger voters, the padayatra may become more symbolic than strategic,” said Srirama Dash, a Bhubaneswar-based political commentator.
Predictably, the ruling BJP dismissed the padayatra as “political theatrics.” Panchayati raj minister Rabi Naik accused the BJD of “tarnishing the legacy” of Odisha icons like Gopabandhu Das for political mileage.
“Every Odia knows how the BJD was rejected. We have fulfilled what we promised in just one-and-a-half years,” Naik said.
