Naveen Patnaik — an election-ready politician

Five-time Odisha Chief Minister is known to keep reminding people of his welfare schemes

September 21, 2021 08:28 pm | Updated November 22, 2021 09:46 pm IST - BHUBANESWAR

Mr. Patnaik has relied heavily on public relations and managing public perception ever since he came to power in 2000. File.

Mr. Patnaik has relied heavily on public relations and managing public perception ever since he came to power in 2000. File.

Thrice in the past one month, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has gone public with the announcement, launch and distribution of smart health cards under the Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana (BSKY). He is likely to attend two more district-level smart health card distribution programmes in this month itself.

Like the ₹2-rupee-rice scheme launched by the government in 2009, the health card system is touted to be another game-changing welfare programme in the CM’s political journey. It is obvious that the BJD supremo won’t let it go like any ordinary welfare scheme. Wherever the events marking the distribution of the cards are organised, the Biju Janata Dal makes sure that Ministers and party MLAs remain present there in large number.

Distribution of the cards is scheduled to be held in Balangir on September 22. The three meetings there are likely to be made grand affairs akin to impressive public meetings organised in the run up to any election.

What makes Mr. Patnaik get into campaign mode when there is neither any serious election on the horizon nor is there any serious political adversary to challenge his grip? The five-time-CM is known to keep reminding people of his welfare schemes without waiting for any election dates to be announced. He has earned the distinction of being an election-ready politician.

“The Odisha Assembly is the most sanitised building with people’s representatives, employees and journalists subjected to regular COVID-19 check-ups. However, Mr. Patnaik chose not to attend the session physically for fear of catching infection. But he never hesitates to fly down to distant districts for these public events,” said Satya Prakash Nayak, Congress spokesperson.

Mr. Nayak said, “These events are organised in a big way at the expense of the exchequer whereas the BJD is busy delivering political messages. Nowhere in the country a CM keeps launching one scheme in phases week after week.”

Though the dates of both the civic body and the panchayat elections have not been announced, the Chief Minister broke his 10-month-long COVID-19 isolation addressing a massive meeting in Kalahandi district in January.

The occasion was the inauguration of a 43-km lift irrigation canal which would irrigate over 25,000 hectares of farmland in 38 gram panchayats from the Upper Indravati project. He had also announced development projects worth ₹2,085 crore. Hordes of Ministers and MLAs attended the event to create the maximum buzz.

Similar strategy was adopted during the foundation laying ceremony of the hockey stadium in Rourkela a few months ago. About 90 MLAs and a number of Ministers had camped in Sundargarh district prior to Mr. Patnaik’s arrival. The event appeared like a high-voltage campaign in which the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party is good at.

 

Mr. Patnaik has relied heavily on public relations and managing public perception ever since he came to power in 2000. He never fails to leave his stamp even in normal government functions.

During the past couple of years, the BJD government has made sure that Mr. Patnaik distributes appointment letters to newly recruited employees. Earlier, the letters used to be sent to selected candidates without any such formalities.

“Different governments run welfare schemes differently. They make sure that people are informed about them. Though the way Mr. Patnaik is reaching out to people appears like election campaign, it is his own way of making people aware,” said Satya Prakash Dash, a professor of political science in Sambalpur University.

Naming of public infrastructure has been carried out systematically. Anyone who travels 20 km in any part of Odisha, he or she would invariably come across posters with Mr. Patnaik’s photographs in background of green, a colour associated with the BJD.

The regional party seems to be outsmarting the principal BJP in the latter’s game. Continuous political activities and keeping party cadres busy have been the unique selling proposition of the BJP.

“The Odisha CM seems to be a rare politician who starts preparation for the next election immediately after winning one,” said Rabi Das, veteran journalist and political commentator.

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