BHUBANESWAR: Even though the BJP’s performance in 2019 Assembly elections in Odisha fell far short of expectations, the saffron party had several things to cheer about, including its historical victory from Bhubaneswar Parliamentary constituency.
The BJP had made several attempts in past elections to capture this prestigious seat. But, the outcome had always been disappointing. The maiden victory of BJP candidate Aparajita Sarangi was all the more interesting as she breached the BJD bastion which had elected the regional outfit’s Prasanna Patsani for five consecutive times from 1998 to 2014.
The fact that Aparajita polled nearly two lakh votes more than all the seven BJP candidates under the Lok Sabha seat proves that public went for split voting to ensure her victory. Out of the seven Assembly seats in Bhubaneswar Lok Sabha constituency, six were won by the ruling BJD candidates while Jatni Assembly seat went to former minister Suresh Kumar Routray of the Congress. Even in Jatni Assembly constituency, BJD candidate Bibhuti Bhusan Balabantray polled 61,319 votes with 38.25 vote share. The BJP candidate in Jatni polled only 26,256 having a vote share of only 16.38 per cent.
The vote share of BJP candidates improved in other Assembly seats. However, this was not sufficient for the victory of a Lok Sabha candidate. Aparajita polled 4,86,991 votes with a vote share of 48.45 per cent while her main rival Arup Patnaik of BJD garnered 4,63,152 votes with a vote share of 46.07 per cent. Perhaps, the absence of a Congress candidate in the constituency which the grand old party had left to the CPM may have helped the BJP candidate.
Congress candidate in 2014 polls Bijay Mohanty had polled 1,45,783 ballots with a vote share of 16.34 per cent and this large chunk most probably was transferred to the BJP candidate. CPM candidate Janardan Pati polled 23,026 votes, only 2.29 per cent of the total votes polled.
The BJP first fielded a candidate from Bhubaneswar Lok Sabha seat in 1989 polls. The party’s candidate Shanti Dash polled 13,984 votes which comes to around 2.46 per cent. BJP repeated Das in 1991 Lok Sabha polls and she polled 37,541 votes (7.61 per cent). Brundaban Kalas was the party’s candidate in 1996 polls. That year too, BJP’s vote share did not cross 10 per cent as Kalas polled 62,052 votes or 9.87 per cent.
The seat was won by Patsani of the BJD from 1998 to 2014, five consecutive times. The BJP did not field candidates in Bhubaneswar Lok Sabha seat from 1998 to 2004 as the constituency was allotted to BJD because of the alliance between the two parties in Odisha.
However, Archana Nayak former BJD MP from Kendrapara was fielded as BJP candidate from Bhubaneswar after alliance between the two parties broke in 2009. Nayak polled 93,980 votes (13.22 per cent). In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, BJP candidate Prithviraj Harichandan got 2,49,775 votes or 28 per cent of the total ballots polled.
The Bhubaneswar seat was a Congress bastion from 1951 onwards till 1989 when CPM wrested the seat from the grand old party. Congress veterans such as Pandit Lingaraj Mishra, Nrusingha Charan Samantsinghar, Raja PC Deo Bhanj and Chintamani Panigrahi had won from the seat. It was also represented thrice by CPM veteran Shivaji Patnaik in 1977, 1989 and 1991.
Soumya Ranjan Patnaik of Congress won from the seat in 1996. However, after that the seat became a BJD stronghold till it was wrested by BJP in this election.