Former Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik visited Ganjam on November 7 to meet flood-hit people. His visit followed criticism from the ruling BJP, which accused him of ignoring his constituency after Cyclone Arnab. Many locals shared their plight with him, as the BJD demanded that the government provide urgent assistance.
Recently, posters portraying Mr. Patnaik as missing appeared in Hinjili, his home constituency, triggering a war of words between the ruling BJP and the Opposition BJD
Odisha Leader of Opposition and former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Saturday (November 7, 2026) visited Ganjam, his home district, which was badly affected by floods caused by Cyclone Arnab, after the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party accused him of being indifferent to his own constituency.
His visit came 10 days after extremely heavy rain poured in Ganjam rendering thousands of families homeless, destroying acres of ready to harvest paddy crops and damaging livelihood of people.
Mr. Patnaik toured Sheragada, an area devastated by floods, in Hinjili Assembly constituency, from where he has been continuously elected since 2000. Besides, the Leader of Opposition met people in Asika and Sorada areas where he expressed solidarity with flood affected people, said a senior Biju Janata Dal leader.
Locals share plight
"Thousands of people gathered at different locations to meet Mr. Patnaik and share their plight with their leader. Farmers, carrying damaged paddy stalks and sugarcane plants, expressed anguish over their losses, alleging that government apathy in managing the floods had ruined their livelihoods," the BJD said in a statement.
The Leader of Opposition demanded that the government should expedite providing assistance to all affected families.
Even as the floods triggered by Cyclone Arnab emerged as one of the worst natural disasters to hit Ganjam, political sparring between the BJP and Opposition parties, particularly the BJD, intensified during the rescue and relief operations.
"The BJP government in Odisha failed to make a proper disaster plan ahead of Cyclone Arnab that made landfall in Andhra Pradesh. There was warning of heavy rain over southern Odisha districts, yet the administration moved in a lackadaisical manner exposing people to the fury of nature," said former IAS officer Sujata Rout, who recently joined the party.
'Missing' MLA
As the BJD stepped up its attack over alleged public discontent with relief and rehabilitation efforts, posters portraying Mr. Patnaik as "missing" appeared in Hinjili. The BJP had accused the former Chief Minister of criticising the government while abandoning his own constituency in its hour of crisis.
Rejecting the BJP's criticism, BJD youth wing president Chinmaya Sahoo said the allegations were unwarranted, claiming that party leaders had been actively involved in relief and rehabilitation work on the ground on the instructions of Mr. Patnaik.