The onset of monsoon this year in Odisha coincides with a significant political juncture in the state as the Mohan Charan Majhi-led BJP government completes two years in power. The season of rains though bears a paradox. While the showers bring relief from the heat and sweat of a long torrid summer, fill the landscape with lush greenery, nourish the farms and germinate the seeds, they too sweep away the dust, laying bare every crack, every pothole on the roads.
Governments, too, are much the same. They come to power riding on the people’s hope of change and propagating a vision of a better future. With time, their surface too is scraped, revealing their accomplishments and failures.
Two years have passed since the BJP ended Naveen Patnaik’s 24-year rule and ushered in a new political chapter under Majhi. And, 24 months are a good measure of a government’s performance.
From what has transpired under Majhi regime, the story so far is neither of unqualified success nor dismal failure. The BJP government has made some significant achievements but failed on crucial fronts and found itself embroiled in controversies many a time. It has notched up a complex record that can be best examined through three lenses: the good, the bad and the ugly.
THE GOOD
Immediately after being sworn-in on June 12, 2024, Majhi and his cabinet got off to a rollicking start, bent upon fulfilling the promises made to the people. The four gates of Lord Jagannath temple in Puri, a major poll promise, were opened on the very evening, the government took shape.
The first cabinet meeting approved the game-changer Subhadra Yojana and enhanced input assistance for the farmers. From reopening of Ratna Bhandar and inventorisation of the deities’ ornaments within to implementation of Ayushman Bharat, the Majhi government moved fast on its headline pre-poll promises, most of which have been fulfilled within the two years.
The ‘double-engine’ government has also prioritised fast-paced industrialisation and investment-led growth as well as accelerated infrastructure development. The Majhi government has already bagged investment proposals to the tune of around Rs 20 lakh crore and grounded over Rs 3 lakh crore in the two years, a significant achievement in itself.
The government has been able to move away from the conventional mineral-based industrialisation to niche sectors like textiles, electronic and IT manufacturing, alternative energy, apparel and textiles, port-based industries, defence tech and services sector. Odisha has also woven a semiconductor hub dream with several flagship projects lined up for chip manufacturing.
The Narendra Modi government at the Centre has been equally generous to Odisha, showering a record Rs 10,928 crore railway allocation this year along with national highway development. Several big-ticket infrastructure projects including Bhubaneswar-Cuttack-Puri-Paradip Economic Zone, Capital Ring Road, new ports and airports are on the anvil.
The state government can also boast of empowering over one crore women through Subhadra Yojana and creating around 23.46 lakh Lakhpati Didis while more than 42 lakh farmers have benefitted from the various state and central incentives including the enhanced input assistance.
One of the major achievements of the BJP government has been the elimination of Naxalism. When it assumed office, nine districts were still categorised as Maoist-affected. Today, they are all free from Naxalism, with leaders and cadres either killed in encounters with security forces or surrendered.
Beyond all this, the Majhi government sustained its people’s governance model with the CM himself leading the charge as he had from Day-1 by opening his doors to the citizens. The grievance redressal systems continued to operate across the districts.
Official data of the government suggested that by April-end, about 2.40 lakh grievances were heard across the districts with a 92 per cent case resolution rate. The CM’s grievance cell fared even better. It received at least 14,651 complaints during the first 17 rounds of hearings and resolved 14,046 cases, translating to 96 per cent success.
THE BAD
Yet, the sheen fades when one scrapes the ground. The government which rode to power on the back of enormous public expectations seems to have somehow failed to sustain the momentum. The promise of revitalising administrative machinery, bringing reforms and ensuring vibrant governance has come a cropper. Many initiatives feel like rebranded versions of BJD schemes with fresh logos. Despite grand investment announcements, actual job creation has not been proportionate or visible. Irrigation projects and mining reforms promised in the manifesto have moved at a snail’s pace.
The government’s handling of paddy procurement has angered farmers. The BJP leaders had repeatedly promised a transparent and hassle-free procurement system while attacking the BJD over ‘katni-chhatni’ and mandi irregularities. But procurement delays, token issues, miller influence and farmer distress continue to plague the sector as the promise of systemic reform has remained unfulfilled. At the same time, bureaucratic inertia has pulled back the government.
The BJP had attacked the Naveen Patnaik government for operating under absolute bureaucratic control and had promised a total shake-up of the administrative system. Two years since, nothing has changed. There has not been even a facile attempt to fix the system. Add to it the conduct of ministers, who, barring a few, have had a tendency to exceed their brief by speaking out of turn, contradicting each other in public. Many have even appeared to be unaware of the happenings within their departments. Several controversies have arose from the public statements by the ministers, putting the government in a spot.
“The Mohan Majhi government appears to be just taking forward previous BJD government’s programmes. It has not come up with any fresh welfare schemes that would set it apart from Naveen Patnaik. In just two years, the BJP government appears to be tired, reactive and short of ideas,” said a political analyst.
THE UGLY
However, nothing has damaged the Majhi government’s image more than the perception of fast deteriorating law and order situation in the state. From the Balasore student tragedy in the initial year to the mob lynching of a police constable on the outskirts of the state capital, rising custodial deaths, disturbing gang-rapes and communal incidents, the government has failed abysmally in establishing firm control.
Odisha has recorded one of the highest violent crime rates in the country and ranked second in crimes against women. Chief Minister Majhi himself has informed the Assembly that over 53,000 cases of crime against women were recorded in the state between June, 2024 and March 7, 2026.
However, the biggest challenge before the Majhi government today is not political opposition but public disaffection. The public mood towards the government has changed noticeably in the last one year. The initial optimism has faded. There is a growing perception that governance has stalled without any clear direction and decisive action. The most worrying sign is an absence of visible leadership. Though earnest in intent and work ethics, Majhi has struggled to grapple with multiple power centres, which have impeded his authority to a great extent.
ROAD AHEAD
As the government approaches its half-tenure mark during the end of this year, it will have to contend with its first major political test in the form of the panchayat and urban body polls early in 2027. While CM Majhi’s personal integrity and people’s connect remains intact, he should assume firm leadership and steer the government with accountability to convert promise to performance. The immediate job at hand is to set the BJP house in order.