BJP Confident Of Forming Next Govt In Odisha With PM Modi’s Popularity; BJD Counters

Bhubaneswar: Enthused over the party’s decisive victory in Assembly elections in three states, Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) on Monday voiced optimism about forming government in Odisha in 2024 by defeating the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD).

Addressing a press meet in Bhubaneswar, BJP’s state unit president Manmohan Samal said the poll results in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, where the saffron party put up a spectacular show, have set the tone for the next elections. BJP is all set to wrest power from BJD in Odisha, he claimed.

Assembly election is slated to be held in Odisha simultaneously with the Lok Sabha polls next year.

Stating that Prime Minister Narendra Modi enjoys highest popularity rating in Odisha, Samal said it will definitely reflect in the next elections in the state, where people are fed up with BJD’s misrule.

Coming down heavily on the BJD government, the BJP leader alleged that corruption is rampant in almost all departments, while law and order situation is pathetic.

Though the Centre sanctioned huge funds for Odisha in the last nine years, the money was not spent wisely to bring desirable results. No infrastructure development has taken place in the state, while tourism, irrigation and industries sectors are neglected and a large number of jobless youths are migrating to other states in search of employment, he claimed.

Terming the Naveen Patnaik government as insensitive and inert, the senior BJP leader claimed that Ratna Bhandar of Jagannath Temple in Odisha remains neglected.

Accusing the BJD government of having failed to understand the religious sentiment of Odias, Samal said the status of jewellery inside the Ratna Bhandar has remained a million-dollar question so far as the administration is in no mood to open the treasury.

People are highly agitated as their sentiments are hurt and BJD will have to face the consequence in the next Assembly election, Samal claimed, adding that ‘Modi guarantee’ will certainly steer BJP to victory in Odisha.

Describing the poll results in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh as just a trailer, the BJP leader said that BJD will see the full movie in 2024 elections which will see a change in the state.

Expressing similar views, another senior BJP leader and former MLA Pradeep Purohit also claimed that the saffron form government in Odisha in 2024. Chhattisgarh election results will have a greater impact on western Odisha, he claimed.

The ruling BJD, however, dismissed the claims made by BJP and asserted that the poll outcome in other states will have little impact on Odisha election. BJD ML Amar Patnaik said there is only one leader in Odisha and he is Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.

Stating that the CM has been working hard for all sections of people for the last 23 years, Patnaik said BJD has ensured an inclusive growth in the state. Most other states failed to bring development of this scale.

BJD has improved its vote share in last 3 elections and the party will do better than what it did in 2019, he claimed.

Another senior BJD leader and Minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak said only ‘Naveen model’ has been doing wonders in Odisha since 2020 and it will continue in future too as its focus is on development.

Claiming that no political party is capable of beating BJD, he said other states are impressed with the performance of the BJD government and they are emulating different programmes being implemented in our state.