Odisha Turns Into 'Mecca' for BJP, and Naveen Patnaik a Favourite Punching Bag

Politically usually sluggish, the state Odisha has suddenly become a hot destination for political parties in the fray.

The recent series of road shows in Odisha by rivals Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has charged up the political climate in the state like never before.

After the recent road show by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, another one was held on Thursday by BJP president J P Nadda and subsequently by the Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik the same evening.

Is Modi’s BJP shaky in North India?

The road shows have obviously raised many eyebrows, wondering what could be the compelling reasons for BJP and the Prime Minister in particular to become so focused on Odisha time.

Besides one road show in Bhubaneswar, PM Modi has addressed a few election rallies in the state already, and is likely to visit the state yet again on Monday for another phase of election rallies. These visits cannot be construed merely as routine election campaigns. The story can well be read between the lines as to why for BJP, all roads lead to Odisha.

Political observers feel that the frequency of BJP’s muscle-flexing in Odisha has other reasons.

“BJP’s feet in the Hindi heartland are seemingly slithering from under the feet thus making the party a bit jittery as regards the PM’s quest for the 400+ seat mark in the Lok Sabha, which it aims to compensate as far as possible from Odisha, which has 21 Lok Sabha seats” observed Rabi Das, senior journalist and political analyst.

“Although 400+ this time appears to be a tall order for the saffron brigade, but to reach a face-saving target of minimum 300 MPs by the NDA (National Democratic Alliance), the BJP has been virtually mollycoddling the sentiments of the people of Odisha”, he added.

Surrounded by political snipers around him, the Odisha Chief Minister, too, for the first time, held a road show as a last-ditch effort to fortify the Bhubaneswar Lok Sabha seat and wrest it back from BJP.

Patnaik’s road show was reminiscent of his campaign in the 2019 elections.  Riding a bus and quietly making gestures of thankfulness with folded hands, he has been seeking people’s blessings for the BJD again.

Patnaik has also pulled out a trump card -- of announcing free electricity to the people of Odisha that may, to a great extent, boost BJD’s vote percentage in the polling to be held on May 25 also.

“It is a huge, huge respite for us who live in acute hardship in the suburban and semi-rural areas, given the electricity tariff after it was taken over by a corporate giant” said Aman Das, a resident of Salia Sahi in Bhubaneswar’s largest slum, told this writer.

On the other side, Modi’s scheduled rallies in Puri, Angul and Cuttack speak volumes about the seriousness of BJP in doing better in Odisha. 

The writer is a freelance journalist based in Odisha.