The Biju Janata Dal 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 statesman,politician and writer serving as the current and 15 Chief Minister of Odisha representing the Hinjili Assembly constituency since 2000. He is the longest-serving chief minister of Odisha and as of 2024,one of the longest-serving chief ministers of any Indian state,holding the post for over two decades,and only the second Indian chief Minister after Pawan Chamling to win five consecutive terms as Chief Minister of an Indian state. 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.
Bijayananda Patnaik was an Indian politician,aviator and businessman. He served as the 3rd Chief Minister of the State of Odisha from 1990 to 1995 and from 1961 to 1963. 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 was the father of Naveen Patnaik,who is the current CM of Odisha and currently the longest serving CM of Odisha.
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.
The Aama Odisha Party (AOP) was a state political party of the Indian state of Odisha led by Soumya Ranjan Patnaik. It was founded on 26 November 2013. Aama Odisha Party was allotted pot symbol by the Election Commission of India.
Narendra Kumar Swain was an Indian politician from Odisha state. He was elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha the Upper house of Indian Parliament from Odisha as a Biju Janata Dal candidate. He died September 7,2020,after undergoing treatment at a hospital in Cuttack.
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.
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.
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 and former IAS officer who is currently serving as the 39th Minister of Railways,55th Communications Minister and 2nd Electronics &Information Technology Minister in Government of India since 2021 and a member of the Rajya Sabha representing Odisha since 2019. He is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party. Earlier in 1994,Vaishnaw joined the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) in the Odisha cadre,and has worked in Odisha.
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.
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.
Sujeet Kumar is an Indian politician of the Biju Janata Dal party and a Member of Parliament (MP),representing Odisha in the Rajya Sabha(The Council of States or The Upper House),since 2020. He is also a Lawyer and trained Arbitrator,and practicing in the Supreme Court of India,various High Courts and Tribunals. He is currently 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.
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).
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.
