Bhubaneswar: Even as BJP on Thursday expressed confidence of winning in at least 16 Lok Sabha constituencies in Odisha, the BJD claimed that it would bag more than 17 seats in the ensuing elections.
Speaking to media persons, Rajya Sabha members and BJD spokesman Sasmit Patra said the saffron party will continue to face defeat as in local body elections held in the state earlier.
“The BJP has been consistently losing in the elections to panchayats, zilla parishads, urban local bodies and byelections. Its cadres are a harassed and demotivated lot. In order to motivate them, the Central leaders of the party are issuing vague statements and unfounded allegations against BJD,” he said.
Stating that the people have reimposed their confidence in the BJD time and again, he said they would support the party while exercising their franchise in the general elections also.
“The BJD will not only win 17 of 21 Lok Saha seats in Odisha but also improve its tally in the Assembly election. Our party will come out victorious in more than three-fourth seats in the Assembly,” the MP said.
Earlier, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, in an interview to a TV channel, said the BJP can win 16 Lok Sabha seats in Odisha in the 2024 elections. “The BJP believes that a state should progress in tune with the available resources, which is not happening in Odisha. I am confident that the people of Odisha will bless the saffron party under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” he said.
In 2019 elections, the BJP had won 8 Lok Sabha seats with the rest going to the BJD.
