BJD records 4th consecutive win as Patnaik wave sweeps Odisha

The ruling Biju Janata Dal has retained power in Odisha for the fourth consecutive term with the party securing 102 out of the 147 seats.

Odisha also seems to have bucked Modi wave as the Naveen Patnaik juggernaut decimated opposition Congress and BJP to a record 4th consecutive win in simultaneous assembly and Lok Sabha polls. BJD seems to be on its way of a landslide victory in 112 of the 147 assembly constituencies and 20 of the 21 Lok Sabha seats, far ahead of rivals Congress and BJP.

Naveen, now in the 14th year of his chief ministership proved political pundits wrong as he bucked anti-incumbency and Modi wave to record wins in more than 3/4th of the 147 assembly seats of Odisha.

Naveen who is all set to create history by becoming the first Odia politician to become chief minister for a consecutive fourth time led his party to a win which very few could anticipate. What seems to have made Naveen's victory sweeter is the impending defeat of his principal bete noire of BJP's Bijoy Mohapatra from Mahakalpara assembly constituency in Kendrapara district.

The Congress party, which is leading in 22 seats, has emerged as the nearest rival followed by BJP in 13 as per available trends.

Chief minister Naveen Patnaik was leading in Hinjili by 15,656 votes while the state president of Congress was trailing and that of BJP was just marginally ahead in the counting.
 
Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee president Jaydev Jena was trailing by 12,129 votes behind his BJD rival Mayadhar Jena at Anandapur seat, while BJP state president K V Singh Deo is ahead by only 277 votes ahead of his BJD rival and his sister-in-law Prakruti Devi Singh Deo.

The prominent ministers trailing were finance minister Prasanna Acharya in Bijepur seat, science and technology minister Ramesh Majhi at Jharigram segment and school and mass education minister Rabi Narayan Nanda at Jeypore assembly segment.

Also trailing were BJD leader and former minister A U Singhdeo (Balangir), former speaker and BJD leader Kishore Mohanty, Hema Gamang and Anup Sai, who quit Congress and joinedthe BJD recently.

Congress leaders Lalatanedu Bidyadhar Mohapatra (Brahmagiri) and Chiranjibi Biswal, besides BJPLP leader Jay Narayan Mishra, were also trailing. Congress chief whip and senior leader Prasad Harichandan was pushed to the third place at Satyabadi seat behind BJD'S R R Baliarsingh and independent candidate Uma Samantray.

BJP candidate Bijay Mohapatra was trailing by 833 votes behind his BJD rival Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak at Mahakalpada assembly segment, while Manmohan Samal, former state unit president of the party Manmohan Samal was also trailing at Chandabali. Its canidate Dilip Ray was leading in Rourkela.

Ama Odisha Party leader Soumya Ranjan Patnaik is leading in Khandapada, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha was leading in two seats, Samata Kranti Dal in one and independents in three seats.