Friends and foes swear by Biju Patnaik's legacy in Odisha elections

Other states like Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh also have father-son themes, but there is space for contenders. In Odisha, it is unidimensional

It is Biju Patnaik versus Naveen Patnaik in the 21 constituencies of Odisha in this Lok Sabha election. None more so than in Kendrapara, which Naveen describes as his father’s karmabhoomi. It dominates discussions in shops in Tinimohani, the busiest traffic junction in the town, or in the emu farm at Marshaghai village.

The duo has dominated Odisha politics ever since Biju Patnaik won a by-election to an assembly seat from Rajnagar, one of the seven in the Kendrapara constituency, in 1974. Within three years of his death, Naveen Patnaik almost para dropped into the state as almost an unknown to