With BJD Supremo and Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik‘s advanced age, there have been speculations on who will be his successor. Patnaik, who has been facing questions about his successor from the media, continues to handle it tactfully.
When BJD was celebrating its foundation day on Thursday, Patnaik once again faced the same question from journalists about his successor. And, his answer was at best diplomatic.
“I am here for a long time yet. I haven’t thought about it” was his reply.
On the occasion of BJD’s foundation day in 1999, Patnaik had said his successor would be from the party and not from his family.
“The people of Odisha will decide who will succeed the party. The successor will be from BJD and not from my family,” he had stated at the party’s foundation day that year. He further stated that the BJD is not a political party and is not dependent on him or some other leaders for its survival and growth. BJD has now become a people’s movement,” he had said back then.
He had once said that the party had definite plans for his successor.
In an exclusive interview with a Magazine in 2022, Patnaik said that the party had definite plans for his successor. “The BJD is a vibrant political party with strong democratic values. It enjoys the confidence of the people of Odisha. The party has definite plans and it will serve the people affectionately for a long time to come, ” he had said.
The gossip and speculations of Patnaik’s successor were further fuelled when his elder brother Prem Patnaik’s son Arun Patnaik visited Naveen Niwas on June 7, 2024. His visit to Naveen Niwas gave rise to speculations that he might be the successor of Naveen Patnaik.
