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The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) (Odia : ବିଜୁ ଜନତା ଦଳ) () is an Indian 
regional In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...
political party A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular area's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology, ...
 with significant influence in the state of
Odisha Odisha (), formerly Orissa (List of renamed places in India, the official name until 2011), is a States and union territories of India, state located in East India, Eastern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by ar ...
. The party was established to uphold the legacy of former Chief Minister
Biju Patnaik Bijayananda Patnaik (5 March 1916 – 17 April 1997) was an Indian politician and aviator. He served as the 3rd Chief Minister of the State of Odisha from 1961 to 1963 and from 1990 to 1995. He was also the 14th Steel and mines and 1st Coal Uni ...
, uphold Odia nationalism, also to address the unique socio-economic challenges faced by the people of the state. The party aims to provide a platform for regional development, cultural identity, and social welfare, distinguishing itself from national parties. Under the leadership of its founding president
Naveen Patnaik Naveen Patnaik (; born 16 October 1946) is an Indian politician and writer, who served as the 14th List of Chief Ministers of Odisha, Chief Minister of Odisha from 5 March 2000 to 12 June 2024. His 24-year reign is the List of longest-serving I ...
, who has served as Chief Minister from 2000 to 2024, the BJD has emerged as a dominant political force in Odisha. Out of the 27 years of journey, in the first 11 years it had allied with the BJP, afterwards it chose to be unallied. The party's governance has been marked by a focus on infrastructure development, poverty alleviation, and various welfare programs aimed at improving the quality of life for its citizens. The BJD has consistently won a significant share of seats in both state and national elections, reflecting its strong grassroots support and commitment to regional issues. The headquarters of the party is located in Forest Park,
Bhubaneswar Bhubaneswar () is the capital and the largest city of the States and territories of India, Indian state of Odisha. It is located in the Khordha district. The suburban region, especially the old town, was historically often depicted as ''Chakra ...
.


History

The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) is a regional political party in
Odisha Odisha (), formerly Orissa (List of renamed places in India, the official name until 2011), is a States and union territories of India, state located in East India, Eastern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by ar ...
, founded on 26-December-1997, by
Naveen Patnaik Naveen Patnaik (; born 16 October 1946) is an Indian politician and writer, who served as the 14th List of Chief Ministers of Odisha, Chief Minister of Odisha from 5 March 2000 to 12 June 2024. His 24-year reign is the List of longest-serving I ...
. The party emerged as a breakaway faction from the
Janata Dal Janata Dal () was an List of political parties in India, Indian political party which was formed through the merger of Lok Dal, Indian National Congress (Jagjivan), and the Jan Morcha on 11 October 1988—the birth anniversary of Jayaprakash Na ...
following internal conflicts and the decline of the party's influence in the region. The formation of the BJD was largely motivated by the desire to continue the political legacy of Naveen's father, Bijayananda (Biju) Patnaik, a statesman, plus a prominent figure in Odisha's political landscape and a two-time Chief Minister, whose vision for the state inspired many. The need of Biju Janata Dal also rose because Orissa had no key regional party at that time. Other main desire was to oppose Indian National Congress. When Biju Patnaik was a leader of Janata Party and Janata Dal in Orissa, the State Unit had several differences with the National Unit. Naveen Patnaik became its founding president. The creation of the BJD aimed to provide a regional alternative to both the
Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party, or simply the Congress, is a political parties in India, political party in India with deep roots in most regions of India. Founded on 28 December 1885, it was the first mo ...
(Congress Party) and the
Bharatiya Janata Party The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP; , ) is a political party in India and one of the two major List of political parties in India, Indian political parties alongside the Indian National Congress. BJP emerged out from Syama Prasad Mukherjee's ...
(BJP), focusing on issues pertinent to the people of Odisha. It sought to address local concerns, uphold Odia Regionalism/Nationalism, maintain a distinct Odia identity in politics, and promote development.


Alliances

It had first formed alliance with the BJP and had seat-sharing formulae. Some MPs of BJD were appointed ministers in Atal Bihari Vajpayee's council of ministers. It formed state government of Orissa in 2000 with Naveen Patnaik as Chief Minister. Both BJP, BJD were constituents of Naveen Patnaik's first two ministries. Later in 2009 BJD severed ties with BJP then joined the Third Front, lending some seats to CPI, CPM, NCP. Later around 2014 it chose to be unallied and left even Third Front. Since 2009 , Biju Janata Dal is equi-distant from both the key national coalitions. It maintains impartiality, neutral nature, equal distance from both UPA and NDA actually. But there have been some moments when the party had leaned towards BJP plus supported the bills presented by BJP in the Upper House of Parliament.


Position in political spectrum

Biju Janata Dal is never fixed at one political spectrum. It sometimes leans to left , sometimes to right , sometimes remains at centre , to cope with the mood of the public of Orissa/Odisha. This has helped it to garner appreciation from across the state.


Elections

The BJD won nine seats in the 1998 general election and Naveen was named Minister for Mines. In the 1999 general elections, the BJD won 10 seats. The party won a majority of seats in the
Odisha Legislative Assembly The Odisha Legislative Assembly is the unicameral state legislature of Odisha state in India. The seat of the Legislative Assembly is at Bhubaneswar, the capital of the state. The Legislative Assembly comprises List of constituencies of Odisha ...
in the 2000 and 2004 elections in alliance with the
Bharatiya Janata Party The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP; , ) is a political party in India and one of the two major List of political parties in India, Indian political parties alongside the Indian National Congress. BJP emerged out from Syama Prasad Mukherjee's ...
(BJP). The BJD won 11
Lok Sabha The Lok Sabha, also known as the House of the People, is the lower house of Parliament of India which is Bicameralism, bicameral, where the upper house is Rajya Sabha. Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha, Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by a ...
seats in the 2004 elections. In the aftermath of the 2008 Kandhamal riots, the BJD parted ways with the BJP in the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections held in 2009, citing communalism and differences in seat sharing. During the election, BJD won 14 seats and secured a strong 108 legislative seats out of 147 seats in the 2009 Odisha legislative elections. Biju Janata Dal won a huge victory in the 2014 general election, securing 20 of the 21 Odishan
Lok Sabha The Lok Sabha, also known as the House of the People, is the lower house of Parliament of India which is Bicameralism, bicameral, where the upper house is Rajya Sabha. Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha, Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by a ...
seats and 117 of the 147
Odisha Legislative Assembly The Odisha Legislative Assembly is the unicameral state legislature of Odisha state in India. The seat of the Legislative Assembly is at Bhubaneswar, the capital of the state. The Legislative Assembly comprises List of constituencies of Odisha ...
seats. They were re-elected to power in Odisha in
2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...
, winning 112 of the 147 seats in the Odisha state assembly; however, their seats in the Lok Sabha were reduced to 12. In 2022, BJD clean swept elections of Panchayat & urban local bodies in the state. In 2024, they lost all their Lok Sabha seats and also lost the assembly election, with the BJP winning both.


Leadership

The highest decision-making body of the party is its Core Committee. *
Naveen Patnaik Naveen Patnaik (; born 16 October 1946) is an Indian politician and writer, who served as the 14th List of Chief Ministers of Odisha, Chief Minister of Odisha from 5 March 2000 to 12 June 2024. His 24-year reign is the List of longest-serving I ...
- Founder, National Chairperson, Leader of the Party in the
Odisha Legislative Assembly The Odisha Legislative Assembly is the unicameral state legislature of Odisha state in India. The seat of the Legislative Assembly is at Bhubaneswar, the capital of the state. The Legislative Assembly comprises List of constituencies of Odisha ...
*
Pinaki Misra Pinaki Misra (born 23 October 1959) is an Indian politician from the Biju Janata Dal party who served as a Member of Parliament in the Lok Sabha representing the Puri constituency. In 1996, he contested the Puri Lok Sabha seat as a Congress can ...
- ex Leader of the Party in the
Lok Sabha The Lok Sabha, also known as the House of the People, is the lower house of Parliament of India which is Bicameralism, bicameral, where the upper house is Rajya Sabha. Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha, Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by a ...
*
Prasanna Acharya Prasanna Acharya (born 8 August 1949) is an Indian politician from Odisha, India. He is a former member of parliament in the Rajya Sabha. He is a member of the Biju Janata Dal. He is a state vice president of Biju Janata Dal. He is currently s ...
- Leader of the Party in the
Rajya Sabha Rajya Sabha (Council of States) is the upper house of the Parliament of India and functions as the institutional representation of India’s federal units — the states and union territories.https://rajyasabha.nic.in/ It is a key component o ...
*
Niranjan Pujari Niranjan Pujari (born 1961) is a member of the Odisha Legislative Assembly, the state assembly from Sonepur of the Indian state Odisha. He was serving as Cabinet Minister of Parliamentary Affairs ''Parliamentary Affairs'' is a British peer- ...
- Former Minister of Finance, Excise in Government of Odisha *
Pranab Prakash Das Pranab Prakash Das is an Indian politician from Odisha. He was a three time elected Odisha Legislative Assembly, Member of the Odisha Legislative Assembly from 2009 Odisha Legislative Assembly election, 2009, 2014 Odisha Legislative Assembly ele ...
- General Secretary (Organisation) * Sanjay Kumar Das Burma - General Secretary (Headquarters) *
Subhash Chandra Singh Subhash Chandra Singh (born 1960) is a social activist, people leader and policy maker from the State of Odisha, India. He is the first directly elected Mayor of Cuttack Municipal Corporation, acting Treasurer of Biju Janata Dal, Biju Janta Dal ...
-
Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...
of
Cuttack Cuttack (, or officially Kataka in Odia language, Odia ), is the former capital, deputy capital and the 2nd largest city of the Indian state of Odisha. It is also the headquarters of the Cuttack district. The name of the city is an anglicised f ...
, Party Treasurer and General Secretary of the Biju Sramika Samukhya * Dr Byomokesh Ray - President, Biju Yuba Janata Dal * Devi Ranjan Tripathy - President, Biju Chhatra Janata Dal *
Snehangini Chhuria Snehangini Chhuria is an Indian politician. She was elected to the Odisha Legislative Assembly from Attabira as a member of the Biju Janata Dal The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) is an Indian regional political party with significant influence in ...
- President, Biju Mahila Janata Dal


Electoral performance


Indian general elections


State legislative assembly elections


List of party leaders


Presidents


Legislative leaders


List of union cabinet ministers


List of union ministers of state (independent charge)


List of chief ministers


Chief Ministers of Odisha


List of union ministers of state


List of leaders of the opposition


Leaders of the Opposition in the Odisha Legislative Assembly


List of deputy leaders of the opposition


Deputy Leaders of the Opposition in the Odisha Legislative Assembly


See also

*
Biju Sena Biju Sena is a front group of the political party Biju Janata Dal in the state of Odisha, India. Biju Sena was formed by followers of Biju Patnaik Bijayananda Patnaik (5 March 1916 – 17 April 1997) was an Indian politician and aviator. He se ...
, front group of Biju Janata Dal. *
List of political parties in India India has a multi-party system. The Election Commission of India (ECI) grants recognition to national-level and state-level political parties based on objective criteria. A recognised political party enjoys privileges such as a reserved party ...


References


External links

* {{Authority control State political parties in Odisha Political parties established in 1997 1997 establishments in Orissa Regionalist parties in India Janata Parivar Janata Dal