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