It was after Prem Patnaik declined to enter into politics that his younger brother Naveen Patnaik was chosen as father Biju Patnaik’s political heir by the Odisha unit of the then Janata Dal in 1996 after the Patnaik patriarch’s death.

This has been ‘revealed’ by former Union Minister Srikant Jena in an interview to a local TV channel aired on Saturday. Jena’s statement is considered credible as he was privy to the inner happenings of the Janata Dal because of his closeness to Biju Patnaik and his family.

When Biju Patnaik passed away, the Aska lok Sabha seat held by him fell vacant. According to Jena, Biju Patnaik’s wife Gyan Patnaik called him at her New Delhi residence and broached the idea of fielding Gudu (Prem Patnaik) as the party candidate for the Aska by-poll.

Jena, accordingly, talked to Ramakrushna Patnaik, the then Janata Dal strongman in Ganjam district, and the latter agreed to the proposal. But finally, Prem Patnaik declined the offer saying that he was a businessman and his wife was opposed to the idea of his entry into politics, as stated by Jena.

Thereafter, Gyan Patnaik suggested the name of Papu (Naveen Patnaik) to step into Biju Patnaik’s shoes and contest the by-election, Jena said.

So, after winning the by-poll, Naveen Patnaik wore the Biju legacy mantle and has been striding the Odisha political scene as a colossus for almost two decades. Though he began as his father’s successor as the Janata Dal State unit’s chief, he later formed the regional outfit Biju Janata Dal with the purpose of aligning with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to contest the 2000 Parliament and Assembly elections.

As regards Prem Patnaik, he initially did have interest in a political career, as stated by