Naveen Patnaik Steps Into Nuapada Battle, Taking a Political Gamble to Revive BJD Fortunes
After months of silence, the former Odisha Chief Minister re-enters the political arena, testing his personal clout and the BJD’s resilience against the BJP’s western surge
Former Odisha Chief Minister and Biju Janata Dal (BJD) president Naveen Patnaik has stepped back into the political spotlight with a high-stakes move—his decision to personally campaign for the upcoming Nuapada Assembly bypoll. The five-time chief minister, who had largely avoided direct confrontation since his party’s 2024 electoral defeat, announced in a video message on Friday that he would address two public rallies in Komna and Khariar Road in support of BJD candidate Snehangini Chhuria.
Political observers view the move as both “calculated and risky.” Chhuria, a former MLA from Attabira in Bargarh district, is considered an outsider in Nuapada and lost the 2024 Assembly election to BJP’s Nihar Mahanand by over 29,000 votes. The BJD’s selection of her comes amid internal turbulence after the late Nuapada MLA Rajendra Dholakia’s son, Jay Dholakia—once a frontrunner for the ticket—defected to the BJP, undermining the party’s hopes of retaining the seat through sympathy votes.
For Patnaik, who governed Odisha for an unbroken 24 years, the Nuapada contest goes far beyond a single constituency. It is a test of his enduring influence and the BJD’s ability to stage a political comeback. A win here would reinforce his claims that the Mohan Majhi-led BJP government is “inept, corrupt, and indifferent to public welfare.”
However, the odds are stacked against him. The BJP’s Subhadra Yojana, which offers ₹10,000 annual assistance to women aged 21–59, has weakened the BJD’s strong female voter base. Similarly, farmers once loyal to Patnaik’s KALIA scheme are being courted with the BJP’s enhanced procurement incentives, including an ₹800 input subsidy per quintal of paddy in addition to the ₹2,300 minimum support price. Even senior citizens—traditionally BJD supporters—have been swayed by Chief Minister Majhi’s move to triple pensions for those over 80 years to ₹3,000 a month.
Nuapada’s demographics further complicate Patnaik’s task. Of the 2.53 lakh voters, more than 1.05 lakh are tribals—a segment the BJP is consolidating under Majhi’s leadership as Odisha’s first tribal chief minister. The Congress has also fielded a tribal candidate, Ghasiram Majhi, intensifying the competition. Chhuria, who belongs to a Scheduled Caste community, faces an uphill battle in a constituency where her community represents a small minority.
For Patnaik, the Nuapada campaign is more than just a political rally—it is a test of endurance, legacy, and leadership in a transformed Odisha. Whether he can still command cross-regional loyalty and rekindle the BJD’s grassroots strength will be revealed when voters cast their ballots on November 11.
