Lok Sabha Election 2024: Odisha is poised for a fiercely competitive battle between the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to determine which party will form the next government in the eastern state. According to the India Today-Axis My India exit poll, both parties are projected to secure between 62-80 seats in the 147-member assembly.
Odisha Assembly Elections: Neck-and-Neck Contest Between BJD and BJP
The exit poll suggests a significant gain for the BJP, which is expected to increase its vote share from 32.49% in 2019 to 42%, nearly a 10% rise. The Congress, on the other hand, is projected to trail far behind, with an anticipated five to eight seats and 12% of the votes.
In the 2019 assembly elections, Odisha’s voters, who cast their ballots in simultaneous state and Lok Sabha polls, awarded 117 seats to the BJD, 23 to the BJP, and nine to the Congress. Naveen Patnaik, the BJD president, who first became chief minister in 2000, was re-elected for his fifth consecutive term, solidifying his status as one of India’s longest-serving chief ministers.
In recent years, the BJP, a former ally of the BJD, has emerged as the principal opposition party in Odisha. During the recent assembly election campaign, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP focused their attacks on Patnaik’s health and accused him of attempting to impose his trusted aide, bureaucrat-turned-BJD member VK Pandian, originally from Tamil Nadu, as Odisha’s next chief minister.
The close contest between BJD and BJP underscores the high stakes in Odisha’s political landscape, with both parties vying for control and aiming to shape the future of the state.
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