BJP's Rise in Odisha: Significant Gains in Assembly Elections

The BJP won 24 Assembly seats in Odisha and was leading in 56 other constituencies, according to the Election Commission of India. The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) won 18 seats and was ahead in 31 constituencies. Key BJD leaders, including Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, faced fierce competition.

The BJP won 24 Assembly seats in Odisha on Tuesday and was leading in 56 other constituencies, according to the Election Commission of India.

The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) secured 18 seats and was leading in 31 out of the total 147 Assembly seats.

Odisha Chief Minister and BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik was trailing BJP's Laxman Bag by 10,460 votes in the Kantabanji Assembly seat in Bolangir district. However, Patnaik was leading by 4,355 votes over his BJP rival Sisir Kumar Mishra in the Hinjili seat in Ganjam district.

The Congress managed to win two seats and was ahead in 12 constituencies.

BJP candidate Prithviraj Hairchandran won the Chilika Assembly constituency by defeating his nearest BJD rival Raghunath Sahu by 4,566 votes, while BJP's Ashwini Kumar Sarangi secured the Bargarh seat, defeating Debesh Acharya of BJD by 4,772 votes.

Other victorious BJP candidates include Durga Prasad Tanti (Raghunathpalli), Tankadhar Tripathy (Jharsuguda), Irasis Acharya (Bhatli), and Mohan Charan Majhi (Keonjhar). Majhi defeated Mina Majhi of BJD by 11,577 votes.

Meanwhile, BJD candidates such as Pramila Mallik (Binjharpur) and Sarada Prasad Nayak (Rourkela) also emerged victorious.

Prominent BJD leaders facing setbacks include Forest and Environment Minister Pradip Kumar Amat, Works Minister Prafulla Kumar Mallik, and Higher Education Minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak, among others.

The 2019 Odisha Assembly elections saw BJD winning 113 seats, BJP obtaining 23, and Congress securing nine.