Naveen Patnaik Age, Caste, Family, Biography

Bio/Wiki
Nickname	Pappu
Profession	Indian politician and Author
Known for	Being the longest serving Chief Minister of Odisha
Physical Stats & More
Height (approx.)	5' 10" (178 cm)
Eye Colour	Black
Hair Colour	White
Politics
Political Party	• Janata Dal (1997-1998) • Biju Janata Dal (BJD) (1998-Present)
Political Journey	• Joined the Janata Dal in 1997 • Elected to the Lok Sabha from the Aska Constituency, Odisha • Appointed as the Union Minister of Mines in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Government from 19 March 1998 to 5 March 2000 • Formed the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) after the Janata Dal split in 1998 • Became the Chief Minister of Odisha on 5 March 2000 • From 2000 to 2014, he was reelected to the Odisha Legislative Assembly repeatedly and also served as the Chief Minister throughout. • In May 2019, he again took the oath as the Chief Minister of Odisha. • Lost the 2024 assembly election to Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Laxman Bag from the Kantabanji seat - the first electoral defeat in his career • On 5 June 2024, he resigned as the Chief Minister of Odisha.
Awards, Honours, Achievements	• The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) appreciated Naveen Patnaik for backing 33 percent women in the Parliament and Assembly in 2013 • He won the Best Administrator of the Country Award at the Outlook Speakout Awards by the former President Pranab Mukherjee in 2017 • Received the Ideal Chief Minister Award in 2018 by the former President Pratibha Patil • In 2018, he was honoured with the International Hockey Federation (FIH) President's award for promoting hockey in Odisha • He was extremely praised for the smooth execution of his Mission Zero Casualty before and after the Cyclone Phalin, and The United Nations even felicitated him for this. Odhisa became the first Southeast state in Asia to be honoured for Disaster Management by the UN
Personal Life
Date of Birth	16 October 1946 (Wednesday)
Age (as of 2024)	78 Years
Birthplace	Cuttack, Odisha
Zodiac sign	Libra
Signature
Nationality	Indian
Hometown	Bhubaneswar, Odisha
School	• Welham Boy's School, Dehradun • Doon School, Dehradun
College/University	Kirori Mal College, New Delhi
Educational Qualification	Bachelor of Arts
Religion	Hinduism
Caste	Karana
Food Habit	Non-Vegetarian
Address	Naveen Nivas, Aerodrome Road, Khurda District, Bhubaneswar
Hobbies	• Writing • Reading
Controversies	• His longtime confidante and BJD member, Baijyant Panda, quit the party claiming that Naveen Patnaik is not what he used to be, nowadays corruption and crime is on the rise in and the CM is doing nothing to curb this • Walked out of the BJP alliance; because of the seat-sharing talks did not go according to Patnaik • He spoke against Narendra Modi, saying that the Prime Minister has failed to deliver on his promises • He cornered the BJP government over a leaked report by the NSSO showing that unemployment was at a 45 year high • In 2012, Union Minister Srikant Jena accused him of allowing illegal mining of iron ore worth ₹2,50,000 crores
Relationships & More
Marital Status	Unmarried
Family
Children	None
Parents	Father- Late Biju Patnaik (Politician) Mother- Late Gyan Patnaik (Pilot)
Siblings	Brother- Prem Patnaik (Elder; Businessman) Sister- Geeta Mehta (ELder; Writer)
Style Quotient
Car Collection	Ambassador (1980 Model)
Assets/Properties (as of 2019)	Movable Assets: ₹17.75 lacs Cash: ₹25,000 Bank Deposits: ₹14.23 lacs Jewellery: Gold, Rubies, and Diamonds worth ₹2.12 lacs Immovable Assets: ₹63.10 crores Residential Buildings in Faridabad, New Delhi, and Bhubaneshwar worth ₹63.10crores
Money Factor
Salary (as the Chief Minister of Odisha)	Rs. 98,000 + Other Allowances (per month)
Net Worth (as of 2019)	Rs. 63.86 crores

Some Lesser Known Facts About Naveen Patnaik

• Naveen Patnaik is the longest serving Chief Minister of Odisha. He formed the Biju Janta Dal (BJD) in 1998 and named it after his father. His father was the former Chief Minister of Odisha and only after his demise, he got involved in active politics.

• Does he smoke? Yes

• Does he drink alcohol? Yes

• He received his education from the top schools of India and after graduating from college, he went on to become a writer and had authored 4 books from 1985 to 1993. He met Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis (the former First Lady of America) when she visited India in 1983 and they wrote two books together.

• He was an extensive traveller and has visited many places both in India and abroad. While his friends and he were once travelling, his interest in books and movies landed him a small role in the 1988 film The Deceivers which starred Pierce Bronson.

• He was the co-owner of an apparel boutique named Psychedelhi in the Oberoi Hotel, New Delhi. During this venture, he made many friends such as Mick Jagger, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, John Lenon, Paul McCartney, among many more.

• After his father’s demise in 1997, the Janata Dal approached Biju Patnaik’s eldest son, Prem, and daughter, Geeta Mehta, to contest the election in place of their father, but they both declined. Only after they declined, Naveen asked for permission from his siblings to contest from the seat and then finally agreed to join politics.

• He joined the Janata Dal and won from his father’s seat; making him an MP in his first election itself. He was soon appointed as a Cabinet Minister and was given the position of the Union Minister of Mines in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Government.
  

  Naveen Patnaik And Atal Bihari Vajpayee

• In 1998, when the Janata Dal split, he formed the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and named it after his father Biju Patnaik.

• In 2000, he contested the legislative assembly elections of Odisha, and his party won with a BJP alliance. This started his term as the Chief Minister of Odisha.

• During his first term as the CM, he took a lot of harsh decisions against corruption in the state. He dismissed many IAS officers, bureaucrats, and politicians who were involved in corruption even in the slightest manner. This made him extremely popular among the masses and established him as a leader involved in clean politics.

• In 2009, the BJD walked out of its alliance with the BJP; after the seat-sharing talks for Odhisa did not go as planned. Even after walking out of the alliance, the BJD won the 2009 assembly elections with a majority, and he returned for a third term as the CM.

• Interestingly, he did not own a mobile phone until late 2015, which is why his entry on social media was delayed.

• He is the only Chief Minister of India who does not know the local language of his state. He is often criticized for this by opposition leaders. Although he is fluent in English, Hindi, and French.

• In 2014, the BJD won with a majority in Odisha and Naveen Patnaik continued as CM for a fourth term.
  

  Naveen Patnaik Taking Oath As the CM In 2014

• He received the award for the Best Administrator of the Country in 2017 by the former President Pranab Mukherjee.
  

  Naveen Patnaik Receiving The Best Administrator Of The Country Award By Pranab Mukherjee

• In 2019, the BJD won the Assembly Elections and Naveen Patnaik became the Chief Minister of Odisha for the 5th consecutive time.