Birthday wishes to Odisha CM Shri Naveen Patnaik. I pray that he leads a long life blessed with good health. @Naveen_Odisha — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 16, 2017 BHUBANESWAR: Birthday greetings poured in for chief minister Naveen Patnaik from Prime minister Narendra Modi to Union ministers, his party colleagues, industry captains, political adversaries and common man as the bachelor CM turned 71 on Monday."Birthday wishes to Odisha CM Shri Naveen Patnaik. I pray that he leads a long li fe blessed with good health. @Naveen_Odisha," Modi tweeted.West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee , Union ministers Jual Oram and Dharmendra Pradhan, among several others twitted wishing Naveen. Sand artist Sudarsan Patnaik created a sand art on Puri beach wishing Naveen for his birthday.The BJD left no stone unturned to showcase the "Naveen era' through banners and posters even as Naveen on his part expressed his deep gratitude to the people, and said, "I will continue to work hard for the development and welfare of people of our state."BJD leaders and supporters thronged the CM's residence with flower bouquets to wish the party chief who cut two cakes, one at his residence and another at the BJD office, to mark the occasion. Chants of "Naveen Patnaik Long live" filled the air as supporters shouted slogans wishing the BJD chief.Apart from inaugurating a blood donation camp organised by BJD's student wing, the Biju Chhatra Janata Dal, at the party office, Naveen used the occasion to announce a Rs 1250 crore lift canal irrigation project for drought-prone areas of Bargarh district.On his fourth-term as CM in a row, Naveen, of late, has started aggressively confronting the BJP , its once ally, as was evident in his speech while launching the BJD's Jana Sampark Padayatra on October 2 where he accused certain national parties as ruining the federal structure and spreading false propaganda against the Odisha government."With the BJP's growth in state, as perceived from February panchayat election outcomes, and the Congress downslide which is gauged from many senior leaders deserting the grand old party, Naveen perhaps realises battle line for the next general election is going to be BJP versus BJD in the state.

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