BJP set to form government in Odisha

Bhubaneswar: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is all set to form the new government, replacing the 24-year-old Naveen Patnaik government that has been in power since 2000.

This is for the first time the BJP is going to form a government of its own in the eastern Indian state.

A high-voltage campaign led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi saw the party coming close to win at least 80 of the 147 seats. The PM held eight massive public rallies and two roadshows under sweltering heat conditions.

Besides, Union home minister Amit Shah, party president JP Nadda, chief ministers of Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan also undertook massive campaign activities in the state.

By the time this report was filed, the saffron party had won four seats and leading in 76 seats.

The ruling Biju Janata Dal led by five-time chief minister Naveen Patnaik was staring at crushing defeat. By 5 pm, the party had won one seat and was leading in 49 seats. Similarly, the Congress had won one seat and was leading in 13 seats while the Independents were ahead in three seats.

Of the 21 Lok Sabha seats, the BJP was leading in 19 seats, while the ruling BJD and Congress were leading in one seat each. Senior BJP leaders like Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Baijayant Jay Panda, Aparajita Sarangi, Dr Sambit Patra and Pradip Purohit were leading respectively in Sambalpur, Kendrapara, Puri and Bargarh parliamentary constituencies.

Chief minister Naveen Patnaik who contested two seats — Hinjili and Kantabanji — lost for the latter.

Many senior BJD leaders, including ministers such as Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak and Pradip Kumar Amat , were trailing in their respective seats.

BJD’s No. 3 leader Pranab Prakash Das who contested from Sambalpur Lok Sabha seat and his mother Sandhyarani Das (Korei assembly seat) also lost elections.

Sources said CM Naveen Patnaik is likely to resign after the results are declared later in the evening.

BJP’s Bhubaneswar candidate Aparajita Sarangi credited the victory of BJD to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership and the hard work of Union home minister Amit Shah, party president JP Nadda and many other central leaders.

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi led us from the front. Once he declared that Odisha will on June 10 have BJP chief minister, people believed his words and worked hard to see that the Naveen Patnaik government is voted out of power,” said Sarangi.