Whether he is in power or out of it, Puri can’t ignore the pull of Naveen Patnaik.

For each of the last 24 years, chief minister Naveen had been the cynosure at the Rath Yatra in the temple town.

Now turned leader of the Opposition, he still managed to eclipse the galaxy of BJP leaders present, including chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi, as he arrived in Puri on Sunday to witness the pulling of the chariots.

Clad in his trademark kurta-pyjamas, Naveen was the star attraction at the VIP enclosure set up by the side of the Bada Danda (Grand Road) along which the chariots of the gods rolled.

Naveen had initially been reluctant to enter the enclosure. He greeted the dignitaries present — among them President Droupadi Murmu, governor Raghubar Das, chief minister Majhi and Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan — from below. But Pradhan rushed down to welcome Naveen and escorted him up the dais.

Former chief minister Naveen Patnaik with President Droupadi Murmu and other dignitaries

The servitors in Puri took Naveen to the chariots where the ardent devotee of Lord Jagannath paid his respects to the deities.

"We are touched by Naveenbabu’s humility. We are happy to see him at the Rath Yatra," Rama Chandra Das, a devotee, said.

Naveen’s Puri Parikrama Prakalp for the shrine’s beautification, which included road-widening, was inaugurated in January. "It has helped conduct the Rath Yatra more smoothly," Das said.

Majhi, Pradhan and other senior BJP leaders met the Puri Shankaracharya, Swami Nischalananda Saraswati, at his ashram.

Stampede kills 1

A devotee was killed and 40 others were injured in a stampede that broke out during the Rath Yatra in Puri.

The deceased was identified as Lalit Bagarti, a resident of Balangir in Odisha. The state government has announced a compensation of ₹4 lakh.