Bhubaneswar: Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik has figured in the Indian Express list of 100 most powerful Indians.
The list, IE 100, published in March 2018, has ranked the 71 year old Odisha chief minister at 30. Naveen has climed up in the list from 65 in IE100 2017 to 30.
Patnaik is followed by Punjab CM Amrinder Singh(31), Andhra Pradesh’ N. Chandrababu Naidu(36), Bihar CM Nitish Kumar(49), Telengana’s K Chandrashekar Rao(52), Rajasthan’s Basundara Raje(53), Chhattishgarh Raman Singh(54), Delhi CM Aravind Kejriwal(73), and Gujarat’s Vijay Rupani(76),
Among the chief minister, the list is led by West Bengal’s Mamata Banerjee(6). She is followed byUP CM Yogi Adityanath(9), MP’s Shivraj Singh Chouhan(13), Maharastra’s Devendra Fadnavis(16), Karnataka’s Siddaramaiah(19), and Jammu & Kashmir’s Mehbooba Mufti(26).
The IE 100 list nominated Naveen Patnaik as the most powerful Indians for he is still the tallest leader in the state with the image of someone who has zero tolerance for corruption. His BJD won a huge mandate in the Bijepur bypoll in February, which may held as a litmus test for the party.
Power Punch: In his 17 years as CM, he has sacked nearly 44 ministers for alleged financial and personal misconduct.
What next: The once reclusive CM has increased his public and media interactions to counter a resurgence BJP–the party has performed well in the local elections in the state.
By the way: As accomplished writer, his book, A Second Paradise: Indian Country Life 1590-1947, was edited by his close friend Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.
