Bhubaneswar: Even as the BJP stormed back to power for second term in the Assembly elections in four states, it would have no impact on political scenario in Odisha or prospects of ruling BJD in 2024 polls, said Rajya Sabha member Amar Patnaik.
In his reaction to the results of the elections in 5 states on Thursday, Patnaik, the national spokesman of BJD, said though BJP has come back to power in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur, it has lost seat share in UP, vote share in Goa and hasn’t improved too much in Uttarakhand.
On factors responsible for BJP’s victory, he said lack of a strong national or local/regional alternative as opposition in those places made life easier for BJP. Congress has been elbowed out almost everywhere for a variety of reasons. “BJP’s local leadership of chief minister Yogi Adityanath also helped as he is perceived to have given good governance in the state. SP has done well compared to last time, but drew vote share largely from Congress and BSP and not from BJP,” he added.
On the other hand, he pointed out that, the results of 2014 and 2019 general and Assembly elections have proved that people of Odisha have reposed their trust only on chief minister Naveen Patnaik and the BJD compared to any national party, particularly BJP. In both these elections, vote share of BJD also progressively went up with the results of the recent panchayat elections confirming it.
“In UP, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur, the BJP has merely retained its power for a second term whereas BJD has been retaining it for five times. There is no reason why there will be a change in the sixth time given the soaring popularity of Naveen Patnaik,” he said.
The MP further said the BJD government has strengthened development works and anti poverty measures with the BSKY card and the Mo School programmes making development inclusive. “The chief minister has shown his pro-people approach during the handling of COVID pandemic as well as in vaccine coverage and in disaster management. He is also perceived as a strong leader not only in the state but also national politics as a crusader against corruption. He is still Mr Clean after 22 years in power, a reputation which none of the BJP’s winning CMs in the four states enjoy,” he added.
He reasoned that considering these factors, today’s election results will have no impact on Naveen’s popularity and BJD’s election fortunes now or even in 2024. “We are not worried. On the other hand, BJP would do well to at least keep its No. 2 position in the state by competing with the Congress and not go below them as used to be the situation until 2019,” he said.
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