Celebrations Begins In Bhubaneswar With BJP On Cusp Of Electoral History In Odisha

Bhubaneswar: The BJP will only be too happy about the failed pre-poll alliance talks with BJD in Odisha with trends suggesting a majority in the Odisha Legislative Assembly for the saffron party as its leads in 80 of 147 seats.

Celebrations have already begun at the BJP headquarters in Bhubaneswar as the party is also likely to sweep the Lok Sabha elections in the state with its candidates having garnered substantial lead in 19 of 21 seats. 

The saffron party had won 9 Lok Sabha and 23 Assembly seats in 2019 elections.

The ruling BJD is ahead in 49 Assembly seats against 112 in 2019 election, which it further improved to 113 by winning the Balasore by-elections. Its MP seats have also dropped to mere one from 12 in last polls.

WHAT WORKED FOR BJP

The trends show that the BJP was successful in cornering the BJD government over alleged outsourced governance and missing keys of Ratna Bhandar as it requested people of the state to vote for Odia Asmita (pride), the main poll plank. The attack on bureaucrat-turned-BJD star campaigner V K Pandian over his Tamilian roots, almost creating a fear of a possible take over of the governance system by him if BJD comes to power again, also seems to have worked for the saffron party here.

The BJP also latched on to a video of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik addressing a rally with his hands shaking uncontrollably to raise concern about his health with Prime Minister Narendra Modi hinting at a conspiracy behind his deteriorating condition while announcing to form a “special committee” to probe the matter once the BJP forms government in the state.

Making his age a talking point, the saffron party has also been pushing for a young and dynamic CM for Odisha, who can understand the language and also the culture and tradition of the state. Modi had even asserted that a BJP CM will take oath in Bhubaneswar on June 10.

These issues apart, several BJD leaders, especially in southern and coastal Odisha, switched allegiance to the BJP in recent years, bolstering the saffron brigade’s efforts to effectively take on the BJD.

The BJP’s focus was more on Lok Sabha. It had comparatively more seasoned and known leaders like Dharmendra Pradhan, Jual Oram, Sambit Patra, Pratap Sarangi, Baijayant Panda, Aparajita Sarangi, Bhartruhari Mahatab and Sangeeta Singhdeo contesting for LS seats than the BJD, which being a regional party attached more priority to Vidhan Sabha seats.

The BJD also suffered from anti-incumbency and the fatigue factor. Though it had replaced several leaders, especially in Assembly polls, with family members and rewarded turncoats, the elections turned out to be the toughest for Naveen & Co.