Bhubaneswar: Biju Janata Dal (BJD) supremo and Opposition leader Naveen Patnaik turned 78 on Wednesday. After remaining 24 years as the Chief Minister, now he is the leader of the opposition.He is not in the government now but is a popular leader. He has created a niche for himself. Whether he is the Chief Minister or not, Naveen’s influence has always remained on the people of Odisha.Naveen Patnaik was born on this day in 1946 in Cuttack. He is the youngest son of legendary leader Biju Patnaik and Gyana Patnaik.He studied at the Wilham School and Doon School in Dehradun. After graduating from Delhi University with a degree in Arts, Naveen went abroad. Although his father was a senior politician of Odisha, Naveen Patnaik lived abroad far away from politics.Naveen Patnaik entered politics at the age of 50. After stepping into politics, Naveen dreamed of a developed Odisha. The super cyclone of 1999 had wretched havoc in Odisha. The disaster pushed the then financially weak Odisha into bankruptcy. At that time there was political instability in the state.The BJD-BJP alliance won in 2000 assembly elections in Odisha. Naveen Patnaik came to power. He became the Chief Minister for the first time on 5 March 2000. Work had begun to restore the storm-ravaged Odisha and accelerate the development of the state. Gradually the picture of Odisha started changing.