Bhubaneswar: Former Odisha minister Badri Narayan Patra on Tuesday said that BJD faced defeat in 2024 elections because of party supremo Naveen Patnaik’s absence during campaigns.
Taking an indirect dig at Naveen’s erstwhile confidante V K Pandian, Patra said, “The party performed poorly at several places as Naveen Patnaik did not campaign.”
The BJD legislator from Ghasipura said that the party will return to power once naveen resumes campaigning. “People continue to support Naveen Patnaik and the BJD,” he added.
This came a day after former MP and BJD leader Pradeep Majhi blamed alliance speculation, infighting, and zero election management for the debacle in the twin polls. He pointed out that speculation about a potential alliance with the BJP eroded the party’s credibility among voters while internal sabotage further weakened the party, at a meeting with party workers from Kalahandi and Nabarangpur districts in presence of Naveen.
He also attributed the election rout to poor strategic planning and execution.
In 2024 elections, the BJD drew a blank in the Lok Sabha election while its Assembly seats dropped to 51 from 112 in 2019.
