Biju Janata Dal (BJD) President and former Chief Minister of Odisha, Naveen Patnaik, on Saturday, July 12, returned to Bhubaneswar after undergoing spine surgery for cervical arthritis in a Mumbai hospital.
The BJP supremo returned to the capital city after fully recovering from the spine surgery.
Patnaik came back to Bhubaneswar in a special flight that landed at the Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) at around 2 pm. He returned to the state after 21 days, informed BJD senior vice president Debi Prasad Mishra.
After Patnaik arrived in Bhubaneswar, the former five-time Odisha CM was given a ceremonial welcome by the regional party’s members, who gathered at the airport since morning.
As Patnaik stepped out of the airport, the air was filled with Jai Jagannath slogan. Holding placards and BJD flags, thousands of people stood on both sides of the road leading from the airport to Naveen Niwas, Patnaik’s residence, to welcome and greet their leader. Patnaik, in his style, smiled and waved to the people at the airport.
BJD president Shri Naveen Patnaik was given a rousing welcome by thousands of our party workers and supporters as he arrived at the Biju Patnaik International Airport on Saturday afternoon. Shri Patnaik returned to the state capital after undergoing surgery in Mumbai. Praying… pic.twitter.com/fDJtkDVCPC
— Sulochana Das (@Sulochana_Apa) July 12, 2025
Patnaik, the Leader of the Opposition in Odisha Assembly, had left for Mumbai on June 20 and underwent spine surgery for cervical arthritis at Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital in Mumbai on June 22.
He was shifted to a private room from the ICU after being kept under observation for two days. He was later discharged from the hospital on July 7. The surgery was conducted by Dr S Rajasekaran, an orthopaedic surgeon and chairman of Ganga Medical Center and Hospitals in Coimbatore.
In Patnaik’s absence, the BJD’s 15-member committee led by vice-president Debi Mishra was looking after party affairs in the state.
