Naveen Patnaik is an Indian politician who served as the 14th Chief Minister of Odisha from 5th March 2000 to 12th June 2024. His 24-year reign is the second longest for a chief minister of any Indian state. He is the first president of the Biju Janata Dal since 1997. He served as the Union Minister of Steel and Mines from 1998 to 2000 and a member of the Lok Sabha from Aska from 1997 to 2000.

After the death of his father Biju Patnaik, leader of the Janata Dal, he was elected as a member of the 11th Lok Sabha in the by-election from Aska Parliamentary Constituency in Odisha. He was a member of the Consultative Committee of the Ministry of Steel & Mines, a Member of the Standing Committee on Commerce, and a Member of the Library Committee of Parliament. In December 1997, Naveen Patnaik split from the Janata Dal and founded the Biju Janata Dal.

In the 2000 Assembly election, BJD won the majority of seats in alliance with the BJP in the Odisha Assembly elections, Patnaik resigned from the Union Cabinet and was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Odisha.

Patnaik continued to gain victory in both State Legislative elections and General elections and became the longest-running Chief Minister of a state.

In the 2024 Odisha Legislative Assembly election, Patnaik’s Biju Janata Dal was voted out of power thus ending his 24-year rule in Odisha.