New Delhi: A bitter battle is being fought between the ruling BJD and challenger BJP in the eastern state of Odisha. The state is having simultaneous assembly elections along with the Lok Sabha elections and is one of the few states in the country where the BJP has realistic chances of increasing its tally. At least in the Lok Sabha. It had 8 seats in 2019, this time BJP is aiming for at least 12 if not 14.
Meanwhile, the BJD would want to arrest their growth. Although it won 112 out of 147 assembly seats and 12 out of 21 Lok Sabha seats in 2019, it was a heavy loss compared to 2014 when it had won 20 seats and the BJP just one. How is Odisha going to vote this time? Will anti-incumbency disrupt BJD’s government?
The BJP blames BJD and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for keeping the state poor despite abundant resources and uninterrupted power for 25 years. They charge that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made India the fifth largest economy in the world in just 10 years and is targeting the third position now while Odisha is struggling with every development index. For the BJP, corruption and bribery are important election issues and it believes that all this can change only with the change in government.
In its Sankalp Patra (Election Manifesto), BJP has promised to construct 75,000 km of new roads, fill up 65,000 vacant posts in the first two years and develop the industrial corridor linking Sambalpur-Rourkela-Dhamra-Paradip, build Odisha Bhawan in every district, make 25 lakh Lakhpati Didis etc. BJD called it a “document of falsehood”.
Meanwhile, BJD is hopeful that Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik will be sworn in for the sixth consecutive time on June 9. It is confident of returning to power based on its development work and welfare schemes.
The bureaucrat turned politician and BJD’s star campaigner, VK Pandian believes that BJP will not even get a 10 per cent vote if it declares its chief ministerial face. He alleged that the BJP has plans to split BJD after the elections and that is why the people of Odisha should give his party more seats than the last time.
But amidst these allegations and counter-allegations of development and corruption between BJP and BJD, an individual has also emerged as the focus point of this election. And he is not Patnaik. The assembly election is also seen as a referendum on the desirability of
Pandian’s leadership. Tamil Nadu-born former IAS officer Pandian is considered a political heir to Patnaik and how his eventual rise to the top could impact Odisha’s future has emerged as an important election issue. Today, as Patnaik’s deputy, Pandian is crisscrossing the state and addressing rallies while the old and frail Patnaik is only making occasional guest appearances at some select public rallies.
Carrying tags of an ‘Outsider’ and a ‘Tamilian’, Pandian’s rise has not gone down well with many in BJD. Also, those torn between their affection for the CM and the undemocratic way he has imposed Pandian over them. “Could he (Patnaik) not find one Odia from among the 4.5 crores to succeed him”, they wonder. The opposition is going overboard to exploit this sentiment.
“Odia Asmita (Odia Pride) is in danger, from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Rahul Gandhi, almost all opposition leaders are making this charge. From being called a “Munshi” to “Sana Babu” who is looking to succeed “Bada Babu” (Naveen Babu), Pandian has faced the harshest attack from local Odia leaders.
No wonder, the mandate in this election will also be a mandate on Pandian. If BJD returns to power, it will be people’s nod to Patnaik’s choice.
(Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone. The opinions and facts in this article do not represent the stand of News9.)
Question of Odia Asmita: Will rise of Tamilian Pandian in BJD lead to a swing in BJP’s favour?
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09.05.2024
New Delhi: A bitter battle is being fought between the ruling BJD and challenger BJP in the eastern state of Odisha. The state is having simultaneous assembly elections along with the Lok Sabha elections and is one of the few states in the country where the BJP has realistic chances of increasing its tally. At least in the Lok Sabha. It had 8 seats in 2019, this time BJP is aiming for at least 12 if not 14.
Meanwhile, the BJD would want to arrest their growth. Although it won 112 out of 147 assembly seats and 12 out of 21 Lok Sabha seats in 2019, it was a heavy loss compared to 2014 when it had won 20 seats and the BJP just one. How is Odisha going to vote this time? Will anti-incumbency disrupt BJD’s government?
The BJP blames BJD and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for keeping the state poor despite abundant resources and uninterrupted power for 25 years. They charge that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made India the fifth largest........
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