Chief minister Naveen Patnaik now has more than three million followers on Twitter, a unique landmark that reflects his still growing popularity. “Humbled by the love and affection received during this wonderful digital journey on Twitter. Thank you all. #JaiJagannath,” he tweeted, expressing his gratitude to his followers on the microblogging site.
The Biju Janata Dal supremo’s popularity on the social media is nothing surprising, though, considering his contributions to the state over the last 20 years at the helm. Recently, a national survey voted him the best chief minister of the country purely on the basis of his performance. His unrivalled political status in the state was also underscored by the spectacular victory of his party in the two assembly by-polls held last year. While the BJD snatched away Balasore Sadar seat from the BJP, it retained Tirtol by a comfortable margin.
The track record of his administration has been both spectacular and unblemished. While the government has launched a slew of schemes aimed at the upliftment of the poor and other weaker sections of the society, it has also taken steps to empower women and the youth who have been the pillars of support for his party in successive elections.
Voters have also taken note of the fact that his government has had a clean record as far as corruption is concerned. Although opposition parties have been making allegations from time to time, their charges have never stuck. The Chief Minister’s public image and personal reputation remains intact, which has been instrumental in contributing to his popularity.
With five back-to-back electoral victories, Odisha’s Mr. Clean has been hailed as the only chief minister of the country to have turned anti-incumbency on its head and make political observers come up with a new coinage, “pro-incumbency”. He is cited as the prime example of what is called the TINA (there is no alternative) factor in politics. His indispensability to the state is now indisputable.
As the swell in the number of his followers on the Twitter shows, his popularity during his fifth term in office has soared instead of dipping – as normally happens with most political leaders. The law of averages and the law of diminishing marginal returns have been proved wrong in his case. As things stand today, Patnaik – who is laying extraordinary emphasis on transparency and has launched an all-out war against corruption in his latest term in office – is far ahead of his rivals.
His political invincibility is an established fact. Under his leadership, the BJD has not only become the most successful regional party in the history of Odisha but has also emerged as a major political force at the national level. No national party or coalition can afford to ignore him or his party now. That in itself is an awe-inspiring achievement.
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