There is a sudden spring in Naveen Patnaik’s steps. He seems confident and his postures defy the fact that he was thrown out of power barely three weeks ago.
The images of Naveen in power and out of power are strikingly different and are perceptible. He is no more uneasy. One may surmise that the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) supremo’s equanimity in defeat surpasses his conduct as a chief minister for 24 years on the trot. Was the projection of a "physically weak" Naveen before the elections a deliberate ploy by an ambitious group controlling him and the party?
Nobody can confirm that but visuals of Patnaik willingly or unwillingly dancing to the tunes of his Man Friday VK Pandian was, no doubt, more than evident.
Suave and extremely reticent, Naveen continues to be the leader of the masses with no match to his stature in the Opposition in the Odisha Vidhan Sabha. The voters regret his loss more than they rejoice in BJP’s victory in Odisha, that too for the first time.