Janaki Ballabh Patnaik

Janaki Ballabh Patnaik
ଜାନକୀ ବଲ୍ଲଭ ପଟ୍ଟନାୟକ
Patnaik in 2009
25th Governor of Assam
In office
11 December 2009 – 10 December 2014
Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi
Preceded by Syed Sibtey Razi
Succeeded by Padmanabha Acharya
11th Chief Minister of Odisha
In office
15 March 1995 – 17 February 1999
Preceded by Biju Patnaik
Succeeded by Giridhar Gamang
In office
9 June 1980 – 7 December 1989
Preceded by Nilamani Routray
Succeeded by Hemananda Biswal
Union Minister of Tourism, Civil Aviation and Labour
In office
16 January 1980 – 7 June 1980
President of Indian Youth Congress, Odisha state unit
In office
1950–n/a
Personal details
Born 3 January 1927
Rameshwar, Bihar and Orissa Province, British India
Died 21 April 2015 (aged 88)
Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, India
Political party Indian National Congress
Spouse Jayanti Patnaik
Alma mater
Website Official website

Janaki Ballabh Patnaik (3 January 1927 – 21 April 2015) was an Indian politician who had been 25th Governor of Assam from 2009 to 2014. A leader of the Indian National Congress, he was Chief Minister of Odisha from 1980 to 1989 and again from 1995 to 1999, holding that post for the longest time on record before Naveen Patnaik. In 1950, he became the President of the Odisha state unit of the youth wing of the Congress. In 1980, he became the Union Minister for Tourism, Civil Aviation and Labour from 16 January to 7 June.

Controversy

He was involved in the Anjana Mishra rape case.

Death

Janaki Patnaik's statue in JB Patnaik memorial park, Khordha.

He died on Tuesday, 21 April 2015, aged 88 at Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh. On Monday, 20 April 2015, he had gone to attend the convocation of Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeetha, of which he was chancellor, and also visited the Lord Venkateswara Temple, Tirumala. Later in the night, he complained of severe chest pain and was subsequently shifted to Sri Venkateswara Institute of Medical Sciences (SVIMS) where he died at around 3:00 am. on 21 April. He leaves behind a legacy of having translated the Mahabharata, the Ramayana and the Bhagavad Gita into his mother tongue, as he was a Sanskrit-Odia scholar.