Janaki Ballav Patnaik passed away at Tirupati on Tuesday on the occasion of Akshaya Tritiya, a very important festival linked to Jagannath culture and the farmers of Odisha.

Mr. Patnaik, who was three-time Chief Minister of the State, was known for his political skill, organising capacity and statesmanship. Mr. Patnaik, who passed away at the age of 89, dominated Odisha politics for more than three decades beginning from the Seventies till he went on to become the Governor of Assam in 2009.

Educationally and otherwise, Mr. Patnaik was the most qualified Chief Minister Odisha had so far. He was a Sanskrit scholar who got his post-graduate degree from Banaras Hindu University in 1949. Even during his undergraduate days in Ravenshaw College, Cuttack, Mr. Patnaik became famous by unfurling the national tri-colour by bringing down the Union Jack from his hostel building. He started his career as a journalist with the erstwhile English daily The Eastern Times and Odia daily Prajatantra soon after completing his studies, and went on to become the Editor of both the newspapers by 1953.

Mr. Patnaik, who was the son of a primary school teacher, came from a very humble background. After achieving success as an Editor, he took to active politics in 1967 when he unsuccessfully contested the Assembly elections as an Independent candidate. Once out of job and after suffering electoral defeat, Mr. Patnaik started a monthly cultural magazine called Paurusha which became very successful within two years.

When the Congress faced a split at the national level in 1969 and the then Congress strongman Biju Patnaik floated his own party Utkal Congress in Odisha, the Congress became short of leaders. It was then that J. B. Patnaik joined the Congress party, then led by Jagjivan Ram. Popularly known as J.B., Mr. Patnaik went on to become a Lok Sabha Member from Cuttack in 1971 and joined the Union Ministry of Indira Gandhi in 1973 as a Deputy Minister.

During the Emergency, he became very close to Sanjay Gandhi and was promoted as a Minister of State of Defence. Mr. Patnaik lost the 1977 general elections as most of the Congress candidates, including Indira Gandhi and Sanjay Gandhi. But when the second split in the Congress party took place in 1978, he became the sole torchbearer of Congress (I) in Odisha. When Mrs. Gandhi returned to power in 1980, Mr. Patnaik was able to take with him 20 Lok Sabha MPs out of 21 seats in Odisha to become a Cabinet Minister at the Centre.

Six months later when the Assembly elections were held in Odisha, the Congress secured two-third majority and he returned as Chief Minister of the State. Under his leadership the Congress won the next Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in Odisha comfortably. He continued as Chief Minister for the second term and continued till 1989 when the Congress lost the Lok Sabha elections. He again led the Congress party in Odisha when P. V. Narasimha Rao was at the helm of Congress at the national level.

He brought back Congress to power in 1995 by dethroning Biju Patnaik and became Chief Minister for the third time. Mr. Patnaik was a great literary personality who won both Kendriya Sahitya Akademi and Odisha Sahitya Akademi award for his contributions.
He was a rare politician with so much of versatility from journalism to literature and administration.
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