Naveen Patnaik elected Leader of Opposition in Odisha Assembly

Former Odisha Chief Minister and Biju Janata Dal leader Naveen Patnaik is set to take over as Leader of the Opposition after ending a long 24-year run in power.

Patnaik was unanimously elected as the party leader at a meeting held at the BJD legislative headquarters, Sankar Bhawan.

“The newly elected party members have elected me as the BJD parliamentary leader. Prasanna Acharya will be the party’s deputy leader in the parliament. Former speaker Pramila Malick will be the BJD floor secretary and senior BJD leader Pratap Keshari Deb will take up the post of deputy floor secretary,” Patnaik said here on Wednesday.

In the 2024 elections, the BJP won 78 seats in the 147-seat Odisha Assembly, while the BJD’s seat share has plummeted to 51 after winning more than 100 seats in the last three elections. With the support of 51 state assembly members, Patnaik will likely become the most powerful opposition leader in decades.

Important Decisions

Patnaik’s selection could prove crucial for the regional party as the former chief minister has been solely in charge of the party since its formation in December 1997. It would have been difficult for the party to muster the support of any leader other than a former chief minister as no BJD leader has come close to Patnaik’s stature before.

Moreover, most of the BJD leaders have no experience in the opposition. Right from the grassroots to the highest echelons, BJD leaders have been operating on the basis of a power grab for the party. Political analysts say that without stable leadership, the party could face collapse.

Patnaik will play a key role in uniting the party cadre, both as the BJD president and as Leader of the Opposition. Despite his electoral defeat, the veteran leader is respected and popular across the state. His dignified and understated demeanor drew praise, which was evident at the swearing-in ceremony of the newly elected state legislators in Parliament. Members of parliament, irrespective of party affiliation, paid tribute to the former chief minister on the Assembly dais.