BJP storms to power in Odisha by winning 78 seats in 147-member Assembly
BHUBANESWAR: The BJP on Tuesday stormed to power in Odisha by dethroning the BJD which has been in power for the last 24 years.
The BJP won 78 seats in the 147-member Odisha Assembly, according to the Election Commission of India.
The BJD won 51 seats. Chief Minister and BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik won from the Hinjili Assembly seat but lost from the Kantabanji seat.
The Congress won 14 seats while the CPI(M) won one seat. Independents won three seats.
In the 2019 Assembly election, the BJD had won 113 seats, BJP 23 seats and Congress 9.
The BJP-BJD alliance came to power in Odisha in 2000 with Naveen Patnaik as the chief minister. The BJD in 2009 severed its 11-year-old relationship after seat-sharing talks between the two parties collapsed. Patnaik won the subsequent elections in the state..
Interestingly, the seat-sharing talks between the two started ahead of this year’s elections to the Lok Sabha and assembly but it failed. But this time, the BJD supremo could not lead his party to victory.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday thanked the people of Odisha and assured them that his party will leave no stone unturned to fulfil their dreams.
In a message on X, the Prime Minister said, “Thank you Odisha! It’s a resounding victory for good governance and celebrating Odisha’s unique culture. BJP will leave no stone unturned in fulfilling the dreams of people and taking Odisha to new heights of progress.”.
Modi said he is very proud of all the hardworking workers of the BP for their efforts in the Odisha elections.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah also expressed his heartfelt gratitude to the people of Odisha for giving BJP the opportunity to serve the holy land of Lord Shri Jagannath.
“This victory achieved under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi ji will realize the pledge for a ‘Viksit Bharat, Viksit Odisha’. I assure the people of the state that the BJP will work dedicatedly for the all-round development of the state by promoting the Odia Asmita (pride), Odia language, Odia culture, and Odia literature,” Shah said in a post on X.
Independent candidates won in three assembly seats. They were Himansu Sekhar Sahu (Dharmasala), Bijay Kumar Dalbehera (Baramba) and Sarada Prasad Pradhan (Mahanga)..
Leader of Opposition and BJP candidate Jayanarayan Mishra won Sambalpur MLA seat with a margin of 4,105 votes. BJP chief whip in Odisha Assembly Mohan Charan Majhi won the Keonjhar seat defeating his nearest rival Mina Majhi of BJD by 11,577 votes.
The other BJP candidates who won are Prithviraj Hairchandran (Chilika), Ashwini Kumar Sarangi (Bargarh), Bhabani Shankar Bhoi (Talsara), Padma Charan Haiburu (Karanjia), Kanhai Charan Danga (Kantamal), Dusmanta Kumar Swain (Khandapada), Fakir Mohan Naik (Telkoi), Sanat Gartia (Bijepur).
Senior BJD leader and Odisha Assembly speaker Pramila Mallik won from Binjharpur constituency. Mallik won the seat by defeating her nearest BJP rival Babita Mallick by 2,856 votes.
Other BJD winners are Rohit Joseph Tirkey (Biramitrapur), Sanatan Mahakud (Champua), Manorama Mohanty (Narla), Arun Kumar Saho (Daspalla), Barsha Singh Bariha (Padampur), Jogesh Kumar Singh (Sundargarh), Sarada Prasad Nayak (Rourkela), Aswini Kumar Patra (Jaleswar), Gautam Buddha Das (Bhograi), Ranendra Pratap Swain (Athagarh).
Congress candidates who won include Nilamadhab Hikaka (Bissam Cuttack), CS Razen Ekka (Rajgangpur) Ashok Kumar Das (Basudevpur), Sofia Firdous (Barabati-Cuttack), Ramesh Chandra Jena (Sanakhemundi), Satyajeet Gamango (Gunpur), and Tara Prasad Bahinipati (Jeypore).
Source: Press Trust of India
