NEW DELHI:
Naveen Patnaik
, the chief minister of Odisha, has been in power for an impressive 23 years. However, his aspiration to surpass the record of Pawan Kumar Chamling, the former chief minister of Sikkim who held office for 24 years and 165 days, now seems to be in jeopardy. As
Odisha assembly election results
come in, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emerges as a formidable challenger to Patnaik’s
Biju Janata Dal
(BJD).
As per the Election Commission, the BJP is leading on 78 seats in Odisha and Patnaik’s BJD is ahead on 52 seats. The Congress is at the third spot with 15 of the total 147 seats.
Several of the Patnaik’s ministers are also trailing. Assembly speaker Pramila Mallik, finance minister Bikram Arukha, forest and environment minister PK Amat, science and technology minister Ashok Panda, water resources minister Tukuni Sahu, steel and mines minister Prafulla Mallick, planning and coordination minister Rajendra Dholakia are trailing.
The BJP also seems to be sweeping the Lok Sabha elections in Odisha. Out of the 21 seats, BJP candidates are ahead in 17 seats while BJD candidates are leading in three seat.
Lok Sabha Elections
Assembly Elections
The Odisha Assembly elections, covering 147 seats, were conducted across four phases: May 13, May 20, May 25, and June 1. These elections coincided with the Lok Sabha elections in the state.
In the previous Lok Sabha elections held in 2019, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) secured the highest number of seats, winning 112 out of the total 147. The BJP came in second with 23 seats, while the Congress party managed to secure nine seats.
