3 min readBhubaneswarApr 17, 2026 07:28 AM IST
Former chief minister Biju Patnaik’s 29th death anniversary has turned into a political flashpoint in Odisha, with rival camps planning parallel events.
The Biju Janata Dal (BJD), which has observed the day since its inception, will commemorate it this year as ‘Prabada Purusha Dibasa’ across the state’s 147 constituencies, with seminars on Biju Babu’s role in the freedom struggle and in shaping modern Odisha.
Triggering the political face-off is a parallel programme by a group of Biju loyalists sidelined from the BJD over the years. The leaders—former Union minister Dilip Ray, recently elected to the Rajya Sabha; senior leader Bijoy Mohapatra; editor-politician Soumya Ranjan Patnaik; Amar Satpathy; and Pravat Tripathy, among others—have come together under the banner of Odisha Nagarika Mancha, a non-political citizens’ forum, and plan to observe the anniversary on a large scale for the first time.
Most of these leaders had united to form the BJD after Biju Patnaik’s death on April 17, 1997, but were later sidelined for various reasons. They maintain that Biju Babu belongs to all of Odisha, not any single party.
Several BJD MLAs who recently cross-voted in the Rajya Sabha polls in favour of Dilip Ray have also said they will attend the event. “People who admire Biju Babu will come together to commemorate the day and to deliberate on the ideologies of Biju Babu. We have invited everyone. There is nothing political about it,” said senior leader Bijoy Mohapatra.
While leaders of the forum say its aim is to further Biju Patnaik’s vision for Odisha’s development and energise civil society, the regrouping of disgruntled BJD leaders—especially after Ray’s Rajya Sabha victory—carries clear political overtones. Ray is also expected to attend the event.
A common thread among the forum’s prominent faces is that all were once influential in the BJD but were later marginalised.
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With many struggling to retain political relevance, Ray’s victory over the BJD is seen as a rallying point. Some have hinted at a new political alignment in Odisha, though clarity is expected in the coming months.
The BJD, which lost power after ruling the state for 24 years, is also grappling with internal dissent, with veteran leaders openly questioning its functioning. Sources say the forum could emerge as a platform for such leaders.
“There is no internal democracy in BJD. Power is being centralized with a few individuals, who call the shots as per their convenience. Though it was expected that the party would learn from its mistakes from 2024 defeats and make structural changes, nothing changed. Many see that the party has no future,” said a senior leader, who is not very active in BJD.
The BJD criticised the citizen forum’s move, asserting that Naveen Patnaik is the true inheritor of Biju’s legacy. Senior BJD leader Arun Sahoo said attempts to use Biju Babu’s name for political gain would not succeed.
