Insight Bureau: Elections bring an opportunity to the voters to choose their Socio-Political faith for the next five years, in India. As a part of the Process, the Three-tier Panchayat Poll was conducted in Odisha. Is there something new about the results? Is there Something that can be taken as a Case study in Indian Politics? Is there anything surprising to others, though not to Odisha? Yes! It was an unprecedented Tsunami!
Considering the Results of Zilla Parishad Zones, which is fought with the party Symbols, we see an outstanding Outcome by the Ruling party of Odisha, the Biju Janata Dal. Out of 852 Seats, the Biju Janata Dal has been able to win in 766 seats, which is a mark of its bumper show in the State. Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party has managed to get 42 Seats & the Congress managed to hold the ground in 37 Zones.
Though a majority of the Zones were expected to be won by the BJD earlier, what surprising is how BJP has failed to retain its position as a major Opposition party in Odisha. It won’t be an exaggeration to say the Opposition has been wiped out in the rural polls in Odisha and from here, things will get tougher for them.
If we look back at the results of 2017 Panchayat Polls, the Seat distribution was as follows:
➡️ BJD-476
➡️ BJP-297
➡️ Congress- 60
In 2017, there was a Modi Wave in the Country, so as in Odisha. The BJP was successful in its mission to establish itself as the main obstacle to the Ruling Biju Janata Dal. As an indication of the Changing Scenario in General Elections, these figures helped create a narrative in the State in favor of the growing capacity of the BJP. The Momentum continued in the 2019 General Elections, and BJP won in 8 Parliamentary Constituencies, raising from 1 in 2014, out of a total of 21. Similarly, it replaced the Congress Party as the major Opposition party in the Odisha Legislative Assembly, occupying 23 seats, against only 10 in 2014.
Following the same General trend, it was expected that the BJP would win at least 200 Zones in the recently held 2022 Panchayat Elections. But, what turned the table?
One can Observe it well, the grassroot exercise of BJD is far robust than the other two national parties. After the unwanted results in 2017, the BJD started its course correction at all levels of its Organization. With a Special focus on the regions where the party didn’t perform well, the Organisation leaders ensured Ground zero improvement across the State.
In the meantime, the BJP was seen more active on Media & Social Media. A void in the leadership position is a major setback for BJP in Odisha. An internal tussle is clearly visible there in the party. The groups are divided among the workers & supporters on the basis of their Choice of leaders. The race includes the names of Some Present & former Union Ministers, MPs & the Ones inducted from BJD. So, agenda of the party couldn’t penetrate well among the people. There exists a general Confusion on taking BJP into Confidence. The same applies to Congress as well.
Generally, more participation of Voters in an election indicates an anti-incumbency wave. However, the same is not reflected everywhere, and the Voting pattern in Odisha has certainly made it possible! Though we saw a Voting turnout of more than 75-80% this time, this was proved to be a positive mandate for the Party in Power. Looking at the Percentage of Votes, the BJD has got around 52% of total Votes cast which is an impressive jump from all its previous records. The BJP & Congress have got around 30% & 13% of Votes respectively. This clearly shows that there is a pro-establishment mindset in the State, even after 22 years of continuous Government of a single regional party.
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Naveen Patnaik, the President of Biju Janata Dal has emerged as an invincible leader in the State. He has been proved to be a political giant. His personality, humility, political approach & Governance has earned an unmatched stature to himself! Despite of so many issues raised by the Opposition parties, the People haven’t changed their mind to bring a change in the Government! It shows that the Biju Janata Dal Govt has been able to connect to the People through its welfare activities, and all other means.
Having been able to measure the pulse of the People, the BJD has shown its excellence in both Governance and election engineering.
The record-breaking performance of BJD in repeated elections is a wonder to many, and The Charisma of Naveen Patnaik is a topic of discussion among the Classes in the Country.
Also Read:
Odisha Zilla Parishad Polls 2022: Final Results
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