BHUBANESWAR: The unexpected reversal of BJP’s fortune in Karnataka Assembly election does not seem to have dampened the spirit of the party’s State unit which is aspiring to form next Government by ousting the ruling BJD.
Notwithstanding the party’s failure to get the magic number in the Southern State, BJP workers here celebrated by distributing sweets, dancing to the beating of drums and bursting crackers. “Ups and downs are part of politics. The Karnataka results will have no impact in Odisha. The party workers will work with more vigour to end the monopoly of the BJD,” said State BJP vice-president Samir Mohanty.
The high point of Karnataka poll results is that the BJP succeeded in pushing the ruling Congress to third place after the grand old party’s unconditional support to the JD(S) by offering them the CM’s chair. Here too, the Congress party is losing its relevance, he remarked. “Nothing is impossible. If the BJP could dislodge the Manik Sarkar Government in Tripura, we can do the same here,” Mohanty said.
However, leader of the BJP legislature party KV Singhdeo had a different take on the Karnataka poll outcome. “Any election results will have its impact on States going to poll next. The spectacular performance of the party in Karnataka has given a clear message to the party workers in the State that they have to work hard to achieve 120 plus mission as set by party president Amit Shah,” Singhdeo said.
Exuding confidence of achieving the target, Singhdeo claimed that odds are heavily disposed against the Naveen Patnaik Government which has failed to bring in the desired development in the State despite staying in power uninterrupted for the last consecutive four terms.
However, the BJD and Congress maintained that the Karnataka poll results will have no impact whatsoever in Odisha. Senior BJD leader and Minister for Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Surya Narayan Patro said this result will have no impact. “BJD has always maintained equidistance from the BJP and Congress. Whosoever forms the government in Karnataka, we have nothing to do with it as we know people of Odisha will not get affected by this result,” he said.
President of the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee Niranjan Patnaik said poor performance by Congress in Karnataka was due to anti-incumbency factor and it will not affect the party’s prospects in Odisha. “Congress definitely got less number of seats than expected in Karnataka but it has nothing to do with Odisha politics. If JD (S) agrees, Congress will form government in Karnataka,” he said.