The ruling Biju Janata Dal, which has been going from strength to strength since its birth in 1997, observed its 25th Foundation day on Sunday, confident about its continued sway over the state.

The party has seen many ups and downs during its long political journey with several veterans parting ways and one of them even attempting a coup against chief minister and BJD president Naveen Patnaik but none of this could dent his popular image that remains the party’s main strength.

The credit for making the BJD into Odisha’s most successful regional party goes to Naveen who acknowledged the love and trust that people have reposed in him as the party celebrated its silver jubilee on Sunday.

Delivering the keynote address on the occasion the five-time chief minister expressed his gratitude to the people of the state. In an obvious bid to whip up regional sentiments on which the BJD thrives he reiterated his commitment to fight for the interests of the state. He also took the opportunity to take potshots at the national parties.

“The boss of BJD is the people of Odisha. We have no boss in Delhi. Whatever we are doing, we are doing as per the wish of the people... for the just cause (haak) of Odisha. For our deeds, we will be held responsible before the people of the state.”

Naveen also pledged to reduce the poverty level further by 10 per cent.

“The poverty level in the state has come down from 63 per cent to 29 per cent during the last 20 years. 80 lakh people have come above the poverty line. In the next five years, we will reduce the poverty level by another 10 per cent and create history.”

He also pointed out how his government had worked to empower women and been able to bring Rs 4 lakh crore worth investment to Odisha even at a time when corona hit the state.

Naveen being synonymous with the BJD as its supreme leader and its infallible poll mascot the Opposition has tried every trick in its bag during the last 21 years to unseat him as the chief minister of the state. But such is Naveen’s grip over the state and his appeal among the masses that neither the BJP nor the Congress have been able to punch a hole in the BJD’s organisational edifice built almost single-handedly by him.

On the personal front the chief minister, who has set a record by winning five back to back elections, remains non-controversial and not a single case of corruption has come against him. During his fifth term, when he came up with the 5T formula of governance (team work, technology, transparency, transformation and time limit) with special emphasis on transparency and accountability, his government with its avowed zero tolerance policy towards corruption, has given compulsory retirement to several officers found guilty of graft.

All this makes Naveen virtually invincible. During the 2019 elections then BJP president Amit Shah had boasted of securing more than 120 seats in the Odisha Assembly but he ended up with egg on his face. Despite taking full advantage of Congress’s steep decline in Odisha the saffron party could manage to win only 22 out of 147 Assembly seats. The BJD won a brute majority with 114 seats.

It is significant to note that Naveen had led a coalition government in the state from 2000 to 2009 with the BJP as his junior partner. The alliance broke in 2009 when the two parties fought separately and the BJP was made to realise its inferior position in the state.

As the party celebrates its 25th foundation day it has already gone into the campaign mode for the upcoming panchayat elections that will be a dress rehearsal of sorts for the final battle in 2024.