The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) is an Indian regional political party with significant influence in the state of Odisha. It was founded by the former minister of mines and minerals of the Republic of India Naveen Patnaik on 26 December 1997 as a breakaway faction from the Janata Dal. The BJD is led by its founder as president of the party. The headquarters of the party is located in Forest Park, Bhubaneswar.
Cuttack, is the former capital and the largest city in the Indian state of Odisha. It is the headquarters of the Cuttack district. The name of the city is an anglicised form of the Odia and Sanskrit name Kataka, which literally means The Fort, a reference to the ancient Barabati Fort around which the city initially developed. Cuttack is known as the Millennium City as well as the Silver City due to its history of 1000 years and famous silver filigree works. The Orissa High Court is located there, and the city is the judiciary capital of Odisha. It is the commercial capital of Odisha, which hosts many trading and business houses in and around the city. Cuttack is famous for its Durga Puja, which is one of the most important festivals of Odisha. Being the favourite destination of poets and artists, it is also the cultural capital of Odisha. Due to its beauty, the term Kataka Nagara Dhabala Tagara is coined for it. The city is categorised as a Tier II city as per the ranking system used by the Government of India.
Bijayananda Patnaik was an Indian politician and aviator. He served as the 3rd Chief Minister of the State of Odisha from 1961 to 1963 and from 1990 to 1995. He was also the 14th Steel and mines and 1st Coal Union Minister of India from 1979 to 1980 and from 1977 to 1979 and a member of Lok Sabha from Kendrapara from 1977 to 1985. He is the father of Naveen Patnaik, who was the CM of Odisha.
Cuttack district is one of the 30 districts of Odisha state in India. It is located in the coastal part of the state and its administrative headquarters are located in the city of Cuttack. As of 2011 Census, after Ganjam, it is the second most populous district of Odisha, with a population of 2,624,470. The name is an anglicized form of Kataka or Katak meaning Fort – referring to the Barabati Fort. The district is bisected by the river Mahanadi and its numerous distributaries and occupies a large portion of the river's delta. It is bounded by the Angul, Dhenkanal, Nayagarh and Khurda districts to the west while its southern and eastern boundaries touch Puri, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara and Jajpur districts.
Kendrapara is a Town and a municipality in the Kendrapara district of the Indian state of Odisha. It is the headquarters of Kendrapara district.
Jagatsinghpur is a town and a municipality in Jagatsinghpur district in the Indian state of Odisha. It is also the headquarters of Jagatsinghpur district. It got the recognition as a new district on 1 April 1993 formerly it was a sub-division of Cuttack district. Paradip Port, Oil refinery and fertiliser factory are located in Jagatsinghpur district. Devi, Alaka, Biluakhai, Kusumi, Hansua, Kuanria and Lunijhara rivers belong to this district.
Banki is a town and a Subdivision, Legislative Council constituency no. 88 and Notified Area Council in Cuttack district in the state of Odisha, India. Banki is known for the Charchika Temple, dedicated to the deity of Chamunda, the eight armed goddess and incarnation of Durga. In the 2024 Odisha Assembly elections current MLA of Banki is Devi Ranjan Tripathy.
Cuttack Lok Sabha Constituency is one of the 21 Lok Sabha (Parliamentary) Constituencies in Odisha state in Eastern India.
Bhubaneswar Lok Sabha Constituency is one of the 21 Lok Sabha (Parliamentary) Constituencies in Odisha state in eastern India.
Karilopatna (Karilo patna, Karilo patana, is a village near Patkura in Kendrapara district in the Indian state of Odisha.
Shashi Bhusan Behera is an Indian politician from the Biju Janata Dal party. He is the Finance and excise minister of Odisha State. He was a former member of Rajya Sabha and Member of the Legislative Assembly of Odisha. Former General Secretary and Vice–President of State Yuva Biju Janata Dal, President Orissa Dalit Sena, Vice President Samatamancha, State Executive Member H.M.S., General Secretary All Orissa Kaibarta Mahasangha, Founder Secretary of Cuttack Homeopathic Medical College and Hospital. Elected Member of National Telephone Advisory Committee in 2001 to 2002.
The Indian metropolis of Bhubaneswar has approximately 1,600 kilometres (990 mi) of roads, with average road density of 11.82 square kilometres (4.56 sq mi). Baramunda Inter State Bus Terminus (ISBT) is the major bus terminus in the city from where buses ply to all the districts in Odisha as well as to neighbouring state's cities like Hyderabad, Kolkata, Visakhapatnam, Raipur and Ranchi. City bus service runs in public-private partnership between Bhubaneswar-Puri Transport Service Limited (BPTSL) and Dream Team Sahara (DTS) under JNNURM scheme. A fleet of 185 buses cover all major destinations including Cuttack, Puri and Khordha. Auto rickshaws are available for hire and on a share basis throughout the city. In parts of the city, cycle rickshaws offer short trips. To ease traffic jams, over-bridges at major road junctions and expansion of roads are under construction. In a study of six cities in India, Bhubaneswar was ranked third concerning pedestrian infrastructure. The city scored 50 points out of maximum 100. The government of Odisha introduced the much-awaited Bhubaneswar BRTS in Bhubaneswar.
Choudwar-Cuttack is a Vidhan Sabha constituency of Cuttack district, Odisha, India.
Sarojini Hembram is an Indian politician from the Odisha state. She belongs to the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) party. She was elected to the Odisha Legislative Assembly from Bangriposi in 2009 and became the minister for textile, handlooms and handicrafts in the Odisha Government. She was elected to the Rajya Sabha the Upper house of Indian Parliament in 2014 from Odisha.
Arup Patnaik is a retired Indian Police Service officer who was the 36th Police Commissioner of Mumbai. He retired on 30 September 2015 after a 36-year career in the Maharashtra Police. He is a recipient of the President's Police Medal for Distinguished Service in 2003 and the Indian Police Medal for meritorious services in 1994.
Anubhav Patnaik is an Indian politician currently serving as the Advisor to E & IT Department of Odisha Government in the rank of Minister of State. He was the sitting MLA from Khandapada constituency for the state assembly of Odisha from 2014-2019. He is the son of Late Arun Kumar Patnaik, an erstwhile MLA of the state assembly. He has also been appointed as spokesperson by the ruling party of Odisha, Biju Janata Dal and secretary in charge of “Women Empowerment” for BJD.
Pratap Jena is an Indian politician and the Former Cabinet Minister in the Sixteenth Odisha Legislative Assembly with Panchayati Raj & Drinking Water, Law, Housing & Urban Development portfolios (2019–2022). He is elected as the Member of Legislative Assembly for the fifth consecutive time from Mahanga constituency of Kendrapara. He is also the General secretary of the farmers wing of Biju Janata Dal, Biju Krushak Janata Dal. Earlier, he had served as the Minister of School and Mass Education during his third term (2009–2012) and as the Minister of Health & Family Welfare, Law and Information & Public Relations in his fourth term (2017–2019) in the assembly.
Sasmit Patra is an Indian politician and a member of the Biju Janata Dal. Since 28 June 2019, he is the member of the Parliament of India representing Odisha in the Rajya Sabha, the upper house and appointed chief whip of the party. He is currently Spokesperson of Biju Janata Dal. He is a Christian. His father was Swarupananda Patra, the former president of the Odisha Minority Forum (OMF)..He has been renominated to the Rajya Sabha by Biju Janata Dal for the second time in May 2022.
Hussain Rabi Gandhi was an Indian Odia writer of the late-twentieth century, a politician, a public intellectual and a cultural activist hailing from the Indian state of Odisha. Being a founder member of Biju Janata Dal, he served as the general secretary of the party from upon its formation in 1998 till 2005. In 1994 the title of Biplabi Loka Kabi was conferred upon him by the Mayor of Cuttack. He was also awarded with the title of Utkala Jyoti in 1996 by the then Deputy chief minister of Odisha, Basant Kumar Biswal on the behalf of Freedom Fighter's Organisation. Gandhi primarily wrote in Odia language and was bestowed with the Secular India Harmony Award in 1993 by the former President of India, Giani Zail Singh and with the Gangadhar Meher Kabita award in 2015 for his notable contributions to the field of Odia poetry. Hussain served as the President of Odisha Sahitya Akademi (2008–2010). He was famously known as the Gandhi of Korei and was regarded as a bridge between Western Odisha and Coastal Odisha. He also served as Lead Member of Smt. Nandini Satpathy Memorial Trust (SNSMT).
Subhash Chandra Singh is a social activist, people leader and policy maker from the State of Odisha, India. He is the first directly elected Mayor of Cuttack Municipal Corporation, acting Treasurer of Biju Janta Dal and General Secretary of Biju Sramika Samukhya. Previously he has also been member of Rajya Sabha from Odisha and has also served as National spokesperson for BJD. He was elected for Rajya Sabha on 24 March 2020. Being one of the most trusted senior leaders in BJD, he holds the position of Party Treasurer of Biju Janta Dal since 2016.
