On May 6, 2024, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Odisha for the first time for the 2024 election campaign. That day, while addressing an election rally in Brahmapur, located in the home district of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, PM Modi made a scathing attack on the BJD Government and said, “June 4 is the expiry date of BJD. Today is May 6, and on June 6, BJP will decide its Chief Ministerial candidate. On June 10, the Chief Minister from BJP will take oath in Bhubaneswar. A son or daughter of Odisha will become the Chief Minister of the state. I have come to invite all of you to attend the swearing-in ceremony.” This statement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi proved true. However, many political observers were sceptical about it at that time.
The election results in Odisha have seen a significant shift in power dynamics, with the BJP making significant gains and securing 20 seats in lok sabha and a majority in the assembly. The anti-incumbency sentiment against Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, who has been in power for 24 years, played a crucial role in the BJP’s success.
Modi’s Campaign Turns the Tide
This time, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s tsunami hit Odisha and the bastion of Naveen Patnaik and Biju Janata Dal collapsed utterly. Odisha has completely turned saffron. Out of the total 21 Lok Sabha seats in the state, the BJP won 20. Out of the 147 assembly seats, BJP candidates won 78. For the first time, the BJP is going to form the Government on its own in Bhagwan Jagannath’s Land.
One of the key factors contributing to the BJP’s victory was the influence of VK Pandian, a bureaucrat-turned-BJD leader who was once a long-time private secretary to CM Patnaik. Pandian was seen as wielding significant control over the State Government. His perceived dominance and the sidelining of elected representatives did not sit well with voters, including traditional BJD supporters.
Surge in BJP’s Vote Share
In the 2019 elections, BJD got 42.8 per cent votes and won 12 Lok Sabha seats, whereas BJP’s vote share was 38.4 per cent, and the party got 8 Lok Sabha seats. In 2024 election, BJP’s vote share increased to 45.33 per cent while the vote percentage of Biju Janata Dal fell drastically to 37.55 percent. BJP won 20 Lok Sabha seats, whereas BJD could not get a single seat. Likewise, in the Assembly election, the BJP increased its vote share from 32.49 per cent in 2019 to 40.07 per cent in 2024. The BJP’s seat tally increased to 78 from 23. In the 2019 assembly election, BJD won 112 seats, and the party’s vote percentage was 44.71 per cent. However, in 2024, BJD’s vote percentage declined to 40.22 per cent, and the party could win only 51 assembly seats.
The 2024 election saw many BJP candidates defeating their nearest rival by a huge margin of votes. Pradeep Purohit won the Bargarh seat by a margin of 251667 votes. Naba Charan Majhi won from Mayurbhanj by a margin of 219334 votes. Dr Pradeep Panigrahi won the Brahmapur Loksabha seat by a margin of 165476 votes. Former Union Minister Pratap Sarangi won the Balasore seat by a margin of 147156 votes. Former Union minister Jual Oram retained the Sundergarh seat by 1,38,808 votes. Union Minister and BJP candidate Dharmendra Pradhan won the Sambalpur Lok Sabha seat by a margin of 1,19,836 votes. In comparison, party candidate Malavika Devi won the Kalahandi Lok Sabha seat with a margin of 1,33,813 votes. Dr Sambit Patra won the Puri seat by a margin of 104709 votes.
Patnaik’s Mixed Results: Wins Hinjili, Loses Kantabanji
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, who has been undefeated in the Hinji seat since 2000, also managed to win Hinjili this time, whereas he lost the Kantabanji assembly constituency. BJP candidate Laxman Bag defeated Naveen Patnaik from the Kantabanji seat by more than 16 thousand votes. His margin of victory from the Hinjili seat has been 50 thousand to 60 thousand on average. However, this time, he was able to save this seat with great difficulty by a margin of little more than four thousand votes. Ganjam, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s home district, has been a BJD stronghold since 2000. Out of 13 seats, BJD won 12 in the last elections, whereas BJD could win only one this time.
Naveen misses breaking Pawan Chamling’s record
Naveen Patnaik would have achieved the rare distinction of longest-serving CM, surpassing Pawan Kumar Chamling, the CM of Sikkim for 24 years and 166 days, had he come back to power. Naveen Patnaik was only 74 days shy of entering the record. But, the mandate shattered this dream of Naveen Patnaik. In the 1990s, Biju Patnaik, former CM of Odisha and father of Naveen Patnaik, once mocked the BJP as a ‘sign-board party’ in Odisha. However, that ‘ sign-board party’ has stormed into power in the State, ending the 24-year reign of BJD leader Naveen Patnaik.
