The unexpected win of BJP, seeing a jump from merely 36 seats in 2012 to 297 this time, comes as a severe jolt to ruling BJD that had won an incredible 651 out of 853 seats in 2012
Samanwya Nanda
It is saffron surge in Odisha. In the recently concluded three-tier Panchayat elections, seen as semi final before 2019 general elections when the Lok Sabha and State Assembly polls will be held simultaneously in this Eastern Indian state, the BJP from merely 36 seats in 2012 jumped to 297 seats out of total 848 seats that had gone to polls in from February 13 to 21 in five phases.
The unexpected results have come as a severe jolt to the ruling BJD that had won an incredible 651 out of total 853 seats at stake last time in 2012 poll. Worryingly for the ruling party, the gap between them and the BJP has narrowed down considerably.
Never in 17 years since it has been in power in the state, had the party looked more vulnerable. Party leaders are still latching on to the “We are still No 1” bravado, but the signs are unmistakable. For the first time the BJD is being given a run for its money by a party that has been a distant third in the state.
The Congress, which had won 128 seats last time, has now been pushed to the margins winning just 60 seats,
turning what would have been a three-cornered fight to an essentially two-horse race.
The near-total collapse of the Congress alone cannot give the number of seats that the BJP has won. The vote percentage now poured in shows that the ruling BJD has much to worry. It is not simply transfer of votes from the Congress to BJP that has only accounted for saffron surge in Odisha.
Even in Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’ s home constituency, Hinjili in Ganjam district, BJP, though earlier was considered to be a non-entity could manage to get 30,000 plus votes. Many of the Naveen Patnaik Cabinet Ministers have lost their home turfs.
State Industry and School Education Minister Devi Mishra who is considered close to Chief Minister, has lost all 6 Zilla Parishad units to BJP in his own constituency Badamba.
A number of factors worked against the BJD and in favour of the BJP in this Panchayat election. For starters, party supremo Naveen Patnaik’s over- dependence on a few trusted bureaucrats and sidelining of party leaders in everything from formulating election strategy to finalizing candidates has cost the BJD dear.
Behind the unexpected success of the BJP, said Union Oil and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, has been rallying of the poor and the deprived section of people behind Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “It is poor people of the state after demonetisation have stood by Narendra Modi like rock,” and that’s why districts like Kalhanadi that symbolised with poverty of Odisha routed out ruling BJD and Congress in the state. Out of 36 seats in Kalahandi district, the BJP swept with 33 seats, while BJD won only 1 seat and Congress won 2 seats. Undivided Kalahandi-Bolangir-Koraput (KBK) is considered as the most backward region of the country.
Out of 187 seats in 8 districts of KBK region, BJP has won 88 seats and BJD won 63. Congress which earlier has traditional vote base in the region is seen to be crumbling as it could manage to win 34 seats only.
In Odisha’s largest Vanvasi district Mayurbhanj, out of 56 Zilla Parishad seats the BJP swept 49 seats while the ruling BJD with all 9 MLA seats in its kitty could manage only 5 Zilla Parishad seats.
