Naveen Patnaik has never sat in the Opposition Benches. Can he do the transition?

Forced to plunge into politics “reluctantly” at the age of 51, following the death of his father Biju Patnaik, Naveen Patnaik has never found himself in the Opposition space in the state. The Biju Janata Dal he founded in 2000 only grew from strength to strength — till this election.

Knocked out by the BJP in his bid for sixth straight term in power — which would have made him the longest-serving CM in the country — Patnaik is now facing the prospect of sitting in the Opposition benches. And the question in political circles is: Will Patnaik, now 77, do so? And how the BJD copes without power, amid widespread apprehension that the party may disintegrate into multiple groups in a post-Naveen Patnaik scenario.

Not just the BJD, Patnaik also suffered losses at a personal level. While he faced his first poll defeat ever, losing from Kantabanji in western Odisha to the BJP’s Laxman Bag, in bastion Hinjili, his victory margin was reduced to 4,636 votes.

Addressing a joint press conference after BJD’s loss, spokesperson Sasmit Patra along with Manas Mangaraj and Sulata Deo said the regional party was indebted to the people of Odisha for allowing it to serve the state uninterrupted for 24 years. “We will continue to serve the people of the state,” said Patra.

In the aftermath of the BJP’s spectacular win in Odisha, Patnaik’s decision to snap ties with the BJP in 2009 may also come into question. While at the time the BJP was seen as piggybacking on the BJD’s organisation without having any base in the state, since then the national party has been growing. It also drew sustenance from the fact that Patnaik himself maintained cordial relations with the BJP top leadership, and the BJD came to the Modi government’s rescue several times