Jyoti Basu was replaced in Naveen Patnaik's record-breaking political career as chief minister for 23 years and counting

 Jyoti Basu was replaced in Naveen Patnaik's record-breaking political career as chief minister for 23 years and counting

Second-longest serving chief executive: Pawan Kumar Chamling of Sikkim now holds the incredible record for having served as the state's chief executive for the most time, 24 years and 166 days, ahead of Naveen Patnaik.

With a term of 23 years and 139 days, Naveen Patnaik of Odisha on Sunday surpassed former West Bengal Chief Minister Jyoti Basu's record to become the second-longest-serving Chief Minister of a state in India.

Pawan Kumar Chamling of Sikkim, who holds the incredible record of managing the state for the longest amount of time—24 years and 166 days—between December 1994 and May 2019—is currently Patnaik's lone rival.

According to Hindustan Times, Chamling lost the assembly elections in the Himalayan state in May 2019, and Jyoti Basu resigned as governor of the eastern state in 2000 after holding office for 23 years in a row. After the passing of his father, former chief minister Biju Patnaik, in 1997, Patnaik, then 76, was criticised by his opponents and well-wishers as a novice. Patnaik is on track to become the nation's longest-serving chief minister if the Biju Janata Dal wins the next assembly elections.

'Accidental politician' to minister

The Doon School and St Stephen's alumni, who was sometimes referred to as an accidental politician in his early years, first acquired the skills of politics in 1997 when he won the Lok Sabha by-election for Aska, the seat that became vacant following his father's passing. Patnaik and other members of the Janata Dal founded the Biju Janata Dal with assistance from the Bharatiya Janata Party. The following year, his party formed an alliance with the BJP ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, and Patnaik became the steel and mines minister in Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's administration.

Patnaik may still be a Union minister today if it weren't for the terrible hurricane of October 1999, which claimed the lives of over 10,000 people and completely destroyed most of coastal Odisha. When Chief Minister Giridhari Gamang threw up his arms in sadness as millions of Odias searched for nourishment and safety after losing their properties and hearths to the cyclone, the Democratic Party's regime, which was already mired in several disagreements including of Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two young sons, came under harsh criticism.

When the Kandhamal riots threatened to ruin his reputation as a secular leader, he ended the coalition with the BJP in 2009. But his popularity has never declined because of a number of populist policies and a solid and well-established party cadre. His biggest strength is his instinctive capacity to take on political obstacles head-on, while his reputation as a well-groomed politician also serves him well.

held two Men's Hockey World Cups

Patnaik has made every effort to hold onto his support base, from launching KALIA, a cash assistance programme, on the eve of the 2019 elections, which managed to reduce the party's losses in at least one-fifth of the assembly seats, to providing funding and support to women self-help groups, who make up a sizable portion of his vote bank. During his 23 years in office, Patnaik has utilised sports to offset any anti-incumbency attitude among voters by hosting the Men's Hockey World Cup twice in five years and supporting the Indian men's and women's hockey teams.

The command for Odisha was handled in 2000

The state's finances were in ruins when he assumed control of the financially troubled Odisha in March 2000 as a result of the previous administrations' extravagant spending, which was rife with corruption and ineptitude. The state's revenue shortfall reached more than 6% of its gross state domestic product at the end of 2001–02. But those times are a long time ago.

The per capita income in Odisha climbed from Rs 10,662 in 1999-2000 to Rs 150,676 in 2022-2023 during his 23-year administration. Odisha's economy has grown at an average annual rate of 8.1% from 2012–13, outpacing the national GDP in all but 2014–15 and 2017–18 of the preceding seven years.

created a barrier between the BJP and the Congress

Patnaik is a cunning politician who is conscious of his limitations. After 2009, he decided to keep an equal distance from the BJP and the Congress in order to preserve his balance of power. He had friendly connections with the United Progressive Alliance administration from 2009 to 2014. However, once Narendra Modi took office in 2014, he shrewdly preserved his reputation as a non-aligned politician by supporting the National Democratic Alliance in a number of laws.

Following the 2024 assembly elections, Patnaik will certainly surpass Chamling's record, according to BJD vice president Prasanna Acharya. The former chief minister of West Bengal, Jyoti Basu, had set a record, and he added, "We are happy that our chief commissioner has broken that record." Santosh Singh Saluja, a politician in the Congress, stated: "Naveen Patnaik deserves congratulations for becoming the second longest-serving governor, but he did not accomplish anything remarkable in the last few years."