The 29th death anniversary of former Chief Minister and legendary leader late Biju Patnaik will be observed on Friday (April 17, 2026), with people across Odisha remembering his contributions to the State. However, this year’s commemoration appears to carry a stronger political undertone compared to previous years.

The Biju Janata Dal (BJD), one of the most dominant regional forces in Odisha politics since 2000, was founded on the ideology and principles of Biju Patnaik and continues to project itself as the sole inheritor of his legacy.

During the tenure of Naveen Patnaik, several government programmes and infrastructure projects were named after the legendary leader, and despite occasional political murmurs, the Opposition lacked the strength to effectively challenge such moves in the face of BJD’s brute majority.

 The political landscape, however, shifted after the 2024 elections when the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) formed the government in Odisha for the first time under Chief Minister Mohan Majhi.

The new government altered symbolic and policy markers including shifting the State-level Panchayati Raj Day celebration from March 5 which was being celebrated as Biju Patnaik’s birth anniversary to April 24, and renaming several schemes by dropping his name, such as rechristening Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana as Gopabandhu Jana Arogya Yojana and Biju Setu Yojana as Setu Bandhan Yojana.

A major controversy also erupted when the government initially removed Biju Patnaik’s name from the State Sports Award before reinstating it following public backlash. As BJD remained out of power, a growing perception emerged that Biju Patnaik’s legacy was gradually losing its political centrality. It was further fuelled by developments such as BJD and the Congress backing a common Rajya Sabha candidate, prompting dissent within the party.

The victory of Dilip Ray, a BJD founder and close associate of Biju Patnaik, in the Rajya Sabha election, along with renewed visibility of leaders like Bijoy Mohapatra, reignited debates over the true inheritors of Biju’s legacy.

Adding to this evolving discourse, a new platform, Odisha Nagarika Manch, has emerged, bringing together leaders distanced from major political parties and advocating for a more active citizenry. The forum is set to observe Biju Patnaik’s death anniversary at the auditorium of Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology in Bhubaneswar on Friday.

Meanwhile, BJD has announced statewide observances across all Assembly constituencies. The legacy debate intensified further when BJP MP Nishikant Dubey courted controversy by stating that the late leader was link between former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and American spy agency CIA. The utterance evoked sharp reaction in Odisha with leaders cutting across party line criticizing Mr. Dubey form making such comment. In avalanche of criticism, the BJP MP had to tender unconditional apology.

Despite political contestations and shifting narratives, both BJD and its detractors appear to acknowledge that Biju Patnaik remains a towering figure in the public imagination of Odisha.