BHUBANESWAR: With only a few hours to go for the EVMs to be unlocked to decide who forms the government at the Centre and Odisha, there is a sense of unease in the ruling BJD and its main rival BJP despite the Exit poll projections. As the 2019 elections have turned out to be waveless in Odisha, barring the split vote theory, there is anxiety in the camps of two rival claimants to power in the State.
Despite the internal assessment of the party and Exit poll projections predicting a fifth consecutive win for BJD which will make its supremo Naveen Patnaik one of the longest-serving chief ministers of the country, the regional outfit is jittery about the final outcome anticipating a saffron upsurge in the political scenario of the State.
As per Exit poll predictions and other poll assessments, the BJP is the only party which will have more number of seats in both Assembly and Lok Sabha with an increase in its vote share. Though the BJD leaders claim otherwise, the number of seats in both Lok Sabha and Assembly and party’s vote share are likely to go down. Besides, what has perturbed the ruling BJD leadership is the possibility of BJP making strong inroads in coastal part, so far considered a stronghold of the regional outfit.
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The situation has become so competitive with claims and counterclaims of leaders of the regional outfit and BJP that except perhaps Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, no other candidate can be sure about his win in the polls. Naveen contested from two Assembly seats, Hinjili and Bijepur, in the 2019 polls. All eyes will be on the final outcome of these two seats, not for the result as such but for the victory margin of the Chief Minister.
Besides the Assembly elections, some of the Lok Sabha seats will also be keenly watched. In Kendrapara Lok Sabha seat, BJP national vice-president Baijayant Panda is pitted against popular Odia cinestar and Rajya Sabha member Anubhav Mohanty. The situation has become a bit uncertain in the constituency as Congress candidate Dharanidhar Nayak had polled over 3.92 lakh votes in the 2014 polls with a vote share of 34.4 per cent. Though Baijayant, who was the BJD candidate in 2014 polls had won by over 2.09 lakh votes, the outcome in the changed situation will be keenly watched.
Sundargarh Lok Sabha seat also witnessed a triangular fight from where senior BJP leader and Union minister Jual Oram is pitted against Sunita Biswal of BJD and George Tirkey of Congress. The outcome of Puri Lok Sabha constituency, where BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra is pitted against sitting BJD MP Pinaki Mishra, will be important from the saffron party’s point of view. Besides, other BJP heavyweights, whose fate will be decided, include Prakash Mishra (Cuttack), Pratap Sarangi (Balasore), Suresh Pujari (Bargarh) and Kharavela Swain (Kandhamal).
Similarly, two BJD Rajya Sabha members, Prasanna Acharya and Achyuta Samant, have also entered the fray from Bargarh and Kandhamal Lok Sabha seats. However, the extent of BJP’s success will be an important factor. The saffron party’s vote share in 2009 Assembly polls was 15.05 per cent which increased to 18 per cent in 2014 polls. Meanwhile, BJP national vice-president Baijayant Panda asserted that the saffron party will form government in Odisha. However, BJD spokesperson Sasmit Patra contested the claim and maintained that the regional outfit will get two-thirds majority in Assembly and do very well in Lok Sabha polls also.
It, however, remains to be seen whether the BJD’s vote share, which was 43.4 per cent in 2014 polls, will remain intact or will there be a downward slide.