Naveen Patnaik Restructures BJD After Party's Setback in Odisha Elections

BJD's New Direction Under Naveen Patnaik

Bhubaneswar: Naveen Patnaik, the president of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and five-time chief minister of Odisha, has taken charge of the party for the ninth consecutive time. He has initiated a significant overhaul of the party structure by reinstating the Political Affairs Committee (PAC).

Originally, the BJD had a functioning PAC, which served as its primary decision-making entity, but it had become inactive over time.

The revival of the PAC comes in the wake of the party's recent electoral defeat, marking the end of a 24-year governance period in Odisha that began in 2000, as noted by a senior BJD official.

Patnaik will personally lead the PAC, which includes prominent leaders such as Bikram Keshari Arukh, Pramila Mallick, Niranjan Pujari, Sanjay Kumar Das Burma, Pranab Prakash Das, Sudam Marndi, Tikuni Sahu, Sasmit Patra, and Santrupt Mishra.

In addition to the PAC, Patnaik has appointed a new team of 71 state-level office-bearers for the party. This new structure will feature seven senior vice presidents, eight vice presidents, 20 senior general secretaries, 31 general secretaries, and one treasurer.

Following the BJD's defeat in the 2024 Odisha Assembly and Lok Sabha elections, Patnaik had previously disbanded all organizational committees within the party.