Bhubaneswar: Biju Janata Dal (BJD) President Naveen Patnaik, on Saturday, expressed deep concern over the “inordinate delay” in pulling the Nandighosha chariot during this year’s Jagannath Ratha Jatra in Puri. 

In a post on X, Patnaik refrained from directly blaming the administration but said it was impossible to stay silent given the mishandling of one of the state’s most sacred events.

“We aren’t here to point fingers or blame the administration for yesterday’s inordinate delay in pulling the Nandighosha chariot. But it’s impossible not to voice our deep concern and anguish over how things unfolded during the most sacred event in our State,” he wrote.

Patnaik also recalled last year’s mishap during the Adapa Bije Pahandi ritual, when Lord Balabhadra’s idol slipped -- a moment that had shaken many devotees.

“And now this year, we witnessed Nandighosha ratha still standing at the Singhadwar till 7.45 p.m., only to move a few metres before the day ended,” he said, adding, "That understandably has left lakhs of devotees who came from all over the world to witness this unique event completely disenchanted and disillusioned. Hundreds of devotees also got injured due to poor crowd management."

Highlighting concerns over crowd management, Patnaik noted that hundreds were injured due to poor arrangements. “All we can do is pray: May Mahaprabhu Jagannath forgive those responsible for this terrible mess that has overshadowed the divine festival. I hope this leads to deep introspection within the government,” he added.

On Friday, while most rituals, including the Pahandi of the deities, were completed largely on schedule as per the Jagannath Temple Administration's plans, the pulling of the chariots was significantly delayed, leading to discontent among the gathered devotees.

The chariots of Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra -- Taladhwaja and Darpadalana -- stopped midway, while Nandighosha, the chariot of Lord Jagannath, moved only a short distance from the Lion Gate (Singhadwar) before halting.

Responding to media queries on the delay, Law Minister Prithviraj Harichandan on Friday had said the pulling of the chariots began at 4 p.m. after all rituals were completed as scheduled. However, issues at key turning points on the Bada Danda (Grand Road), combined with an unexpectedly massive turnout of devotees -- reportedly 1.5 times higher than in previous years -- led to the disruption.

“Favourable weather conditions contributed to the higher turnout this year, which made crowd control more challenging,” he said.

(IANS)