Bhubaneswar: The Governing Biju Janata Dal (BJD) today celebrated its 27th foundation day in all Assembly constituencies and Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) across the State.
Thousands of party leaders and workers across the State took pledge to build a ‘Nabin’ (new) Odisha and celebrated the occasion as the Foundation Day.
The BJD Supremo and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik offered floral tribute at the statue of his father and former CM Biju Patnaik here at Forest Park.
The party leaders and workers at the BJD State headquarters ‘Sankha Bhavan’ took oath rededicating themselves to work selflessly for the development of the State and its people, said BJD Vice President Debi Prasad Mishra.
“I take pride in being a disciplined member of the BJD. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is the architect of Odisha’s development and I will act as a soldier to take the State’s developments to new heights. I will fight for the legitimate demands of the state. I take the pledge to work for building a prosperous, empowered and self-respecting new Odisha,” the BJD leaders read out at the function.
To mark this occasion, a cycle rally was organized from ‘Anand Bhawan’ (Naveen Patnaik’s birthplace) in Cuttack to Sankha Bhavan in Bhubaneswar.
Shri Mishra said Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has given good governance and Odisha is on the path of development during the last 24 years. He said that 26 years ago Naveen Patnaik along with several other erstwhile Janata Dal (JD) leaders founded the BJD. The BJD as a regional party has all along been claiming that it is fighting for the genuine demands and alleged wrong treatment meted out to the people of Odisha by the subsequent Central Governments.
“Today is the 27th foundation day of the Biju Janata Dal, and there are 26 years of service that we complete today, and we re-dedicate ourselves through a pledge in the party office today to work for Nabin Odisha, and to build a most stronger, a more self-reliant and becoming the number 1 State in the country. Today, on this auspicious occasion, we have a number of programmes that are being done,” said BJD MP Sasmit Patra
The BJD was formed on December 26, 1997, after the demise of Biju Patnaik in April that year.
The party has been in power in Odisha since 2000. It came to power with BJP as alliance partner in 2000 and 2004. The BJD severed ties with the saffron party prior to the 2009 state assembly elections and won 103 seats independently. It increased its representation to 117 in the 2014 elections and retained its strong hold with 112 seats in the 2019 elections.
