Charisma is a trait that not even his diehard sycophants would associate with Naveen Patnaik. Mostly a loner, his political rivals and detractors have always targeted his poor Oriya and the inability to communicate with the common man. He still shows signs of being uncomfortable in the rough and tumble of politics. Surprisingly, these handicaps did not come in the way of his winning the heart of the electorate and returning to power-it all looks like a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.

At a time when the Telugu Desam Party in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh was devastated by the Congress hurricane, Naveen's return to power, though with a dent in the tally, surprised none. Can this be described anything short of a mystery that transcends the mere mystery?

CENTRESTAGE: Naveen says he can tolerate anything but corrution and newpotism

Naveen, whose only USP is the legacy of his legendary father Biju Patnaik, has been a sensitive writer of repute and was seen as a "social butterfly" before he entered politics in the aftermath of the demise of his father in 1997. He stepped into his father's shoes, entered the Lok Sabha and then suddenly discarded the Janata Dal to float the Biju Janata Dal (BJD). In 2000 he swept the assembly polls and became the chief minister of Orissa, as though destiny lay awaiting him.

Four years down the line not only has he slowly stepped out of the cocoon but has also overcome his drawbacks that he seemed to be genetically inclined to-his silence and inability to communicate with the hoi-polloi-and has acquired a politician's verve.

In a way no political novice usually did, Naveen crusaded against graft, complementing it with his simple lifestyle and earned the image of "Mr Clean". BJD leader Damodar Rout says that not even those who have forged an "unholy" alliance against him have levelled any specific charges about his style of governance. Even if they said anything unsavoury about him people simply did not believe them, he claims.

Yet, the 2004 assembly election was the toughest battle for the BJD-BJP alliance Naveen leads. In a bid to capture power from an "inexperienced and insensitive young leader", the Congress, at the eleventh hour, appointed the ageing J.B. Patnaik as state party chief. Patnaik, a three-time chief minister, quickly roped in the disgruntled elements and tailored a tie-up with the Bijoy Mahapatra-led outfit Orissa Gana Parishad (OGP), Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), the CPI and CPI(M) and hit the road, shaking Naveen and his allies out of slumber. Naveen, however, lost no time in pulling out all stops. But the final victory, the popular mandate, humbled his detractors.

Now as Naveen revels in the glory of his triumph, Mahapatra has charged him with using money and power to ensure a smooth victory. "In my own constituency of Patkura, he spent at least Rs 3 crore. Money was flowing like flood water as if the gates of the Hirakud dam had been opened," he alleges.

Says Patnaik, who was appointed the PCC chief just two months before the polls were announced: "Had I been given more time to revive the party there would have been a storm, not just wave, in favour of the Congress." True, it was Patnaik who finalised the manifesto, forged an alliance and prepared the list of candidates. Besides, Patnaik travelled across the state to counter the youthful Naveen who heli-hopped across all the 147 constituencies several times, calling the Congress a "corruption club" that sheltered all those corrupt leaders whom he had thrown out.

Finally, what is being considered Naveen's Achilles' heel is the fact that he treated the BJD more like a government department. This, in a way, distanced many of the workers from the party-a lack of interest among the partymen was glaring during the poll campaign.

But even that did not cost him dearly. Apart from cultivating and maintaining his "clean" image Naveen used his famous one-liners as a weapon to reach out to the people. Everywhere, while attacking the Congress he would say, "My government is committed to ensuring that nobody lives below the poverty line, my government is as transparent and pure as Belgium glass and I can tolerate anything but corruption- the cause of the people's miseries." In fact, it was the expression of his commitment that touched the heart of the people.

If he destroyed the Opposition through his one-liners his moves had surprised his ally, the BJP, too. He started off in a calculated manner the day the NDA government decided to go for early polls. He decided to club assembly polls, one year ahead of schedule, with the Lok Sabha polls so that national issues overshadowed local issues.

Meanwhile, Naveen wanted to settle scores with the BJP whose leaders had been loudly voicing their protest over the "tardy" implementation of the development schemes across the state.

Though state BJP President Manmohan Samal denies this allegation, party insiders say that Naveen reportedly financed the BJP rebels against its official candidates in as many as 11 constituencies. Also, the BJD workers did not work wholeheartedly for the BJP at many places, they say. Naveen's aides, however, claim that the chief minister personally campaigned for all the BJP candidates.

In the 2000 election, held in the aftermath of devastating super-cyclone, the BJD contested 84 seats and won in 68 with a voteshare of 29.4 per cent while the BJP contested 63 but could win 38 and got 18.2 per cent votes. On the other hand the Congress contested 145 of 147 seats but could win only 26. Yet its vote percentage was 33.78. However, for the BJP it had been a big jump in the company of Naveen. The BJP had entered electoral politics in the state in 1985 contesting 67 seats but could win only one seat with 2.63 per cent votes. In 1990 it contested 62 seats, won two and got 3.5 per cent votes. Thus a jump from 2.63 per cent to 18.2 per cent in 2000 was considered phenomenal.

Naveen's loyalists say that having crushed his foes and demoralised his allies, he is all out to emerge as the "King of Kalinga". There is no richer accolade he can possibly inherit.