BHUBANESWAR: Though BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik led the party to an emphatic victory in the Assembly polls, the dip in the party’s vote share in several constituencies including Hinjili has led the leadership to conduct an internal inquiry about the reasons behind it.
The Chief Minister contested from two constituencies, Hinjili and Bijepur, in the Assembly polls and won from both the seats. However, there was nearly seven per cent drop in the vote share of Naveen in Hinjili from where he won for the fifth consecutive time. The BJP, which had a marginal presence in the constituency, was able to increase its vote share substantially though the contest remained a one-sided affair.
Sources said the growth of BJP in Hinjili and elsewhere in Ganjam, the home district of the Chief Minister, is being viewed seriously by the party. In 2019 Assembly polls, the Chief Minister polled 94,065 votes with a vote share of 66.32 per cent. However, his BJP rival Pitambar Acharya could garner 33,905 votes which comes to 23.91 per cent of the total votes polled.
In 2014 Assembly elections, the Chief Minister had polled 89,267 votes with a vote share of 73.14 per cent. His two rivals from Congress and BJP had a vote share of only 10.39 per cent and 10.06 per cent respectively. While Sibaram Patra of Congress got 10.39 per cent of the total votes polled, the vote share of BJP candidate Devanand Mphapatra was 10.06 per cent.
Similarly, in 2009 Assembly elections, Naveen polled 72,942 votes which was 76.04 per cent of the total votes polled while his Congress rival Raghab Parida could get only 11,669 votes with a vote share of 12.17 per cent. BJP candidate Devanand Mahapatra got 7,387 votes (7.7 per cent).
Naveen’s victory from the constituency in 2004 elections was also equally emphatic. While he polled 62,968 votes (72.71 per cent), his rival Udaynath Nayak of Congress got only 20,235 votes (23.47 per cent). Contesting from Hinjili for the first time in 2000, Naveen had polled 56,243 votes with a vote share of 65.35 per cent while his Congress rival Udaynath Nayak got 29,826 votes (34.65 per cent).
In the second Assembly seat Bijepur, Naveen secured an overwhelming victory by polling 1,10,604 votes (59.78 per cent). In this constituency too, BJP’s Sanat Kumar Gartia, a new face, polled 53,088 votes with a vote share of 28.91 per cent.
In the by-poll to Bijepur Assembly seat in 2018, Rita Sahu of BJD had got 1,02,871 votes with a vote share of 56.61 per cent while her BJP rival Ashok Panigrahy polled 60,939 votes (33.53 per cent). Though the BJD won all the seven Assembly segments including Bijepur in Bargarh Lok Sabha constituency, it failed to retain the Parliamentary seat from Suresh Pujari of BJP who defeated the regional outfit’s candidate Prasanna Acharya.
Sources said the Chief Minister discussed these issues with the Lok Sabha and Assembly candidates of BJD from four Western Odisha districts of Bargarh, Sundargarh, Balangir and Kalahandi. Results of the rest of the five Lok Sabha seats from where BJP candidates won will be reviewed subsequently.
Cause of concern
● There was nearly 7 per cent drop in the vote share of Naveen in Hinjili from where he won for the fifth consecutive time
●Vote share of Naveen in 2019 polls was 66.32 per cent
● In 2014 elections, the Chief Minister’s vote share was 73.14 per cent
● In 2009, his vote share was 76.04 per cent
● Naveen had polled 62,968 votes (72.71 per cent) in 2004