Naveen elected BJD president for 7th term

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik was on Sunday formally declared elected as BJD President for the 7th consecutive term. Announcing Patnaik’s election as the regional party’s chief, returning officer Pratap Keshari Deb said as many as 80 state executive members have also been elected with the completion of organisational poll process which had commenced in the last week of December.

The announcement of Patnaik’s election was a mere formality as he was the lone candidate to file nomination papers for the post. Patnaik is the founder president of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), which came into being after the death of Biju Patnaik in 1997. The party’s organisational elections are held every 3 years.