BJD President Naveen Patnaik Visits Flood-Hit Ganjam District Amid Criticism

Seeking to regain lost ground in its traditional stronghold of Ganjam, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Saturday sought to project party president and former Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik’s visit to the flood-hit district as a show of strength and a reaffirmation of his connect with the region. The visit came amid criticism from the ruling BJP over Patnaik’s absence from his home constituency, Hinjili, in the aftermath of the floods. Patnaik visited the flood-affected Sheragada, Hinjilicut, Aska and Sorada blocks, taking stock of the damage and reviewing the relief, rehabilitation and restoration measures undertaken by the administration. He also interacted with affected families, farmers and local residents. “The people, particularly farmers, are in great distress. Their demands have not been addressed yet. I strongly demand that the state government come to their relief immediately,” Patnaik said after meeting those affected. Patnaik said he would take the grievances of the affected people to the state government and press for immediate action. Thousands of people, including women and elderly residents, gathered at the helipad and lined the roads along his route to catch a glimpse of the former chief minister and raise their grievances. Ganjam, along with neighbouring Gajapati and Kandhamal districts, has witnessed one of its worst floods in 36 years, reviving memories of the 1990 floods in the Rushikulya river basin. The floods washed away major roads, damaged public infrastructure and homes, and destroyed standing paddy crops and vegetable fields, leaving extensive damage across the region. The scale of destruction and allegations of inadequate preparedness and a delayed response have put the BJP government on the defensive. However, Patnaik, too, faced criticism over his absence from Hinjili, one of the worst-affected areas. Posters describing the BJD president as “missing” had surfaced in the constituency, giving the BJP an opportunity to question his response to the disaster. Patnaik’s visit assumes political significance as Ganjam has traditionally been a BJD stronghold and the district where he began his electoral journey. In 1997, he contested a Lok Sabha by-election from the Aska parliamentary constituency following the death of his father, former Odisha chief minister Biju Patnaik. The visit also comes ahead of the local body elections scheduled for January-February 2027, with the BJD seeking to revive its political fortunes in the district. Ganjam played a significant role in the BJD’s five consecutive electoral victories in Odisha. However, the party suffered a major setback in the 2024 Assembly and Lok Sabha elections, when the BJP made significant gains across the district. The BJP won 11 of Ganjam’s 13 Assembly seats and both Lok Sabha constituencies. The BJD managed to retain Hinjili, Patnaik’s constituency, while the Congress won the remaining Assembly seat. Claiming that Patnaik’s visit demonstrated his continued popularity, senior BJD leader Debi Prasad Mishra said the large turnout reflected the people’s faith in the former chief minister and their growing dissatisfaction with the BJP government. The BJP, however, maintained that Patnaik had failed to stand by his constituents when they needed him most. Defending the state government’s handling of the floods, Odisha Cabinet Minister Gokulananda Mallick said people had questioned the former chief minister’s absence during the crisis. “I have seen reports of people raising ‘go back Naveen’ slogans in some parts of the district,” Mallick said.