The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is hoping to not only double its seats in the Lok Sabha from Odisha, but also oust the Naveen Patnaik-led Biju Janata Dal (BJD) from power in the state elections, banking on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘guarantees’. In 2019, the BJP won 8 out of the 21 Lok Sabha seats in the state, and 23 of the 147 seats in the state assembly.
The BJP has made ‘Odia Asmita’ its campaign mainstay. A state leader said the PM’s public address during his visit on Monday will dispel the notion that the BJD and the BJP are in “a friendly fight”.
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Modi and Patnaik share friendly relations and the ties between the two parties have been cordial. Owing to the issue-based support lent by the BJD to the BJP in Parliament, there is a perception that the contest between the two parties is not cut-throat. Negotiations for a possible alliance ahead of the polls deepened the perception that the BJP is now working hard to change.
Puri
In Puri, known as the religious capital of Odisha, BJP candidate Sambit Patra is fighting a pitched battle against former Mumbai police commissioner and BJD leader Arup Patnaik. The Congress is scrambling to catch up after its candidate Sucharita Mohanty returned the ticket, complaining that the party did not provide her with the financial resources needed to contest the polls. She also claimed that she could not match the BJP and the BJD’s spending power. The Congress has now named Jay Narain Patnaik as her replacement.
This has once again brought focus back on the use of money and muscle in elections.
Hours after Mohanty announced her withdrawal from the contest, leaders blamed Mohanty for being in cahoots with the opposition and using the alleged lack of resources as an excuse to cover up her poor preparation for the elections.
Mohanty’s claims of both the BJD and the BJP, parties with deep pockets, spending money have been denied by leaders of the two parties.
While Patra said he wouldn’t dignify her allegation with a comment, Patnaik said the Congress was not a serious contender. “They are just marking their presence,” he said.
Denying Mohanty’s allegations that the BJD is misusing money and stage power to sway voters, he said that all candidates get support from the respective parties to contest elections and parties give detailed reports of their spending.
“It is extremely unfortunate that a candidate has not been backed by her party. What she has said is that the Congress did not provide the bare minimum support that a candidate expects from a party. The Congress is a recognised party and like all other recognised parties they have to offer some help to the candidates to contest elections. I don’t know if it is because of the freezing of their accounts,” he said.
“Rather than be replaced, she saved face and returned the ticket,” a local leader said.
