In a decisive victory, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has won 78 seats in the 147-member Odisha Assembly, according to the Election Commission of India. The Biju Janata Dal (BJD), which has been in power since 2000, secured 51 seats, while the Congress managed to win 14 seats. This marks a significant shift from the 2019 Assembly elections where the BJD had a dominant 113 seats, with the BJP holding 23 and Congress 9.
In the concurrent Lok Sabha elections, the BJP achieved a sweeping victory, winning 20 out of the 21 seats in Odisha, with the BJD claiming only one seat. Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his gratitude to the people of Odisha on social media platform X, stating: “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.”
Preliminary estimates show that the vote share for the Assembly elections was very close, with the BJD receiving 40.18% of the votes and the BJP 39.96%. Despite being the incumbent, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik faced a tough battle. He was trailing in the Kantabanji constituency to BJP’s Laxman Bag by 16,344 votes after 28 rounds of counting. Patnaik had contested from two seats, Kantabanji and his traditional stronghold Hinjili, where he won by a margin of 4782 votes. The election also saw nine of Patnaik’s cabinet ministers and several prominent BJD leaders suffering defeats in both Assembly and Lok Sabha elections.
The election, held simultaneously for both Lok Sabha and Assembly seats on May 13, 20, 25, and June 1, saw the BJP and BJD in a tight race. Exit polls by India Today-Axis My India had predicted a significant gain for the BJP, projecting them to win between 62 to 80 seats in the Assembly, while forecasting a major decline for the BJD to a similar range of 62 to 80 seats.
With the BJP’s substantial gains, Odisha’s political landscape has undergone a dramatic transformation, highlighting the electorate’s shift towards the promise of good governance and development. This victory sets a new direction for the state, with the BJP poised to implement its agenda and bring about progressive changes in Odisha.
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