Bhubaneswar: The new Odisha Assembly will have at least 82 first-time MLAs who were elected in the just-concluded elections in the state. Most of them got elected by defeating heavyweight leaders in the poll battle.
A glance at the list of the 147 newly-elected MLAs shows that at least 82 of them are first-timers.
Similarly, seven out of 21 Lok Sabha members elected from the state are first-timers. They all belong to Bharatiya Janata Party.
The saffron party has the highest number of first-time MLAs. At least 52 of the 78 newly-elected BJP MLAs happen to be first-timers with a share of 67 per cent.
Many of the first-time MLAs and MPs, who won on BJP tickets, defeated seasoned politicians from the Biju Janata Dal (BJD).
BJP’s Laxman Bag, who won his maiden electoral battle from K
antabanji assembly seat, defeated BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik with a margin of 16,344 votes.
The high number of first-time MLAs and MPs in the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections in Odisha appears to have surprised many political analysts. Observers are of the view that the trend indicates a major shift in the political landscape of the state, with voters opting to give an opportunity to fresh faces over experienced politicians.
BJP’s Durga Prasan Nayak, a first-timer, defeated BJD heavyweight and four-time MLA Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak from Mahakalpada Assembly constituency with a margin of 33,526 votes.
The success of first-time candidates in Odisha is being attributed to several factors, including the Modi wave, anti-incumbency against the BJD government and a desire for change among the voters.
Congress won 14 seats in the assembly election and nine of them are first-timers, which is 64.2%.
All three independent candidates who won the Assembly polls are first-timers, and they defeated BJD heavyweights like Debi Prasad Mishra and Pranab Balabantaray.
However, the number of first-timers is not impressive for BJD. Many experienced candidates of BJD have won around 65% of the seats.