LS Polls: BJP May Emerge As Number 1 Party In Odisha, Predicts Prashant Kishor

New Delhi: Political strategist Prashant Kishor has predicted a jump in the vote share of BJP in Lok Sabha elections in Odisha with the possibility of it emerging as the number one party in the state, toppling Naveen Patnaik-led BJD’s applecart.

The saffron party in also likely to make significant inroads in southern and other eastern Indian states. “They (BJP) will either be first or second party in Telangana which is a big thing. They will be number one in Odisha for sure. You would be surprised as, in all likelihood, to my mind, the BJP is going to be the number one party in West Bengal,” he told news agency PTI.

Prashant Kishor further said that the BJP is also poised for a breakthrough in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu. He, however, added that the BJP is unlikely to surpass 370 seats in the 540-member Lok Sabha, which it is targeting in the forthcoming elections.

ODISHA SCENARIO

In 2019 elections, the saffron party had won 8 LS seats in Odisha with 38.4 per cent of the votes against 21.9 per cent in 2014. The BJD bagged 12 seats with 42.8 per cent vote share, a drop of 2% since last election. The BJD, however, had garnered 12.2% more votes than BJP in the Assembly polls in 2019.

The Odisha BJP has set a target to achieve 51 per cent vote share in the 2024 general elections. And the confidence of expanding its influence came to the forefront when the state unit leaders vehemently opposed any pre-poll alliance with the ruling BJD.

On Sunday, BJD leader V K Pandian also asserted that the party under the leadership of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik will improve its tally in the Lok Sabha elections. “The party would return to power for the sixth consecutive term by winning 75 per cent of the assembly segments,” he added.

If BJD returns to power in the state in 2024, Naveen will become the longest-serving Chief Minister in the country, surpassing the record of Pawan Kumar Chamling of Sikkim.

The BJP has announced candidates for all 21 Lok Sabha and 112 assembly seats. The BJD, on the other hand, has picked candidates for all but Balasore LS seat and 108 Assembly segments.

Odisha, where Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections will be held simultaneously, will vote in four phases on May 13, May 20, May 25 and June 1.