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.
Naveen Patnaik is an Indian politician,writer and former Chief Minister of Odisha. Who served as the 14th Chief Minister of Odisha from 5 March 2000 to 12 June 2024. His 24-year reign is the second longest for a chief minister of any Indian state,after Pawan Kumar Chamling of Sikkim. He is the first president of the Biju Janata Dal since 1997. He served as the Union Minister of Steel and Mines from 1998 to 2000 and a member of the Lok Sabha from Aska from 1997 to 2000.
Pyarimohan Mohapatra was a politician from the Odisha Jana Morcha as a member of the Parliament of India representing Odisha in the Rajya Sabha,the upper house of the Indian Parliament. He was the political advisor of Naveen Patnaik. He started his career as an IAS officer and was principal secretary to Biju Patnaik. He was considered as the mastermind and the proxy leader of the Biju Janata Dal.
The politics of Odisha are part of India's federal parliamentary representative democracy,where the union government exercises sovereign rights. Certain powers are reserved to the states,including Odisha. The state has a multi-party system,in which the two main parties are the nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the regional,socialist Biju Janata Dal (BJD). The Indian National Congress (INC) has also significant presence.
Ananga Udaya Singh Deo,also known as A U Singh Deo is a politician from Odisha,India. He is elected to the Rajya Sabha in 2014 from 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.
Pradip Kumar Amat is the former finance minister of Odisha,India.
Pratap Chandra Sarangi,was the Minister of State in the Government of India for Animal Husbandry,Dairying and Fisheries and Micro,Small and Medium Enterprises. He is a Politician from Balasore,Odisha and serves as a National Executive member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He won Odisha Legislative Assembly,two times:from 2004 to 2009 and from 2009 to 2014,both times from Nilagiri constituency.
Bijoy Mohapatra is a politician from Odisha. A leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party,he was Irrigation Minister of Odisha from 1990 to 1995 in the Biju Patnaik cabinet. He was the most powerful minister in Biju Patnaik's cabinet. He was four times MLA from Patkura Constituency of Kendrapara district. He won four straight elections in 1980,1985,1990 and 1995.
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.
Aul is a town and the headquarters of Aul CD Block and Aul Tehsil in Kendrapara district in the Indian state of Odisha. It is 17 km from Chandabali. Aul is surrounded by the river Kharasrota and Brahmani on north and south respectively. To its east is Bhitarkanika National Park.
The 2019 Odisha assembly election,held between April 11 and April 29,was the 16th quinquennial legislative assembly election to elect 147 MLAs to the 16th legislative assembly of Odisha. Covering 147 constituencies across four phases,the polls coincided with the Lok Sabha elections. Vote counting for the assembly election took place on May 23,concluding before the previous Odisha Assembly's term expiration on June 11.
2019 Rajya Sabha elections were held throughout 2019,to fill the vacancies in the Rajya Sabha,the Indian Parliament's upper chamber. The elections were held to elect 2 members from Assam as well as 6 members from Tamil Nadu. By-elections were held for 14 seats among various states.
Jagannath Saraka is a politician from Odisha. He is a member of Biju Janata Dal (BJD) political party. He represented the Bissamcuttack Vidhan Sabha constituency in 2014 and 2019 assembly elections.
Ashwini Vaishnaw is an Indian politician,former IAS officer and a businessman who serving as 39th Minister of Railways,35th Minister of Information and Broadcasting and 2nd Minister of Electronics and Information Technology since 2024.
Amar Patnaik is a former Indian Audit and Accounts Service (IA&AS) officer under the Comptroller &Auditor General (CAG) of India and former Principal Accountant General (PAG) of Sikkim,Odisha,West Bengal,and Kerala. He opted for voluntary retirement,nine years before completion of his service and joined Biju Janata Dal in the presence of party president and CM Naveen Patnaik on 29 August 2018. Since 28 June 2019,he is the member of the Parliament of India representing Odisha in the Rajya Sabha and general secretary of the BJD Parliamentary Party office,the upper house. He heads the IT-Wing and is also a spokesperson of Biju Janata Dal.
Sujeet Kumar is an Indian politician of the Bharatiya Janata Party party and a former Member of Lok Sabha,representing Odisha in the Rajya Sabha,from 2020 to 2024. He is also a Lawyer and trained Arbitrator,and practicing in the Supreme Court of India,various High Courts and Tribunals. He also was the Chairman of the Committee on Petitions of Rajya Sabha,one of the youngest ever to chair a Parliamentary Committee. He earlier served as the Advisor,in the rank of Chief Secretary,to the Special Development Council (SDC) of Government of Odisha and as the Special Secretary of Odisha State Planning Board,very senior policy planning positions with Government of Odisha.
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.
Kishore Kumar Mohanty was an Indian politician who served as Member of Rajya Sabha from Odisha,Speaker and Member of Odisha Legislative Assembly from Jharsuguda Assembly constituency and Brajarajnagar Assembly constituency and Chairman of Western Odisha Development Council.
Debashish Samantaray is an Indian politician. He is a Member of Parliament,representing Odisha in the Rajya Sabha the upper house of India's Parliament as a member of the Biju Janata Dal.
