BJP Set to Form Government in Odisha, Leads in 80 Assembly Seats

Bhubaneswar: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is on track to form its first government in Odisha, with candidates leading in 81 of the 147 Assembly seats. This historic win marks the party’s debut in governing the state independently.

The Biju Janata Dal (BJD), led by Naveen Patnaik, is currently ahead in 48 seats, while the Congress party leads in 15 segments.

The BJP previously partnered with the BJD during its initial terms in 2000 and 2004. However, after the alliance ended in 2008, the BJD secured consecutive victories in 2009, 2014, and 2019, winning 112 seats in the last Assembly elections compared to BJP’s 22 and Congress’s nine.

Naveen Patnaik, who has served as Odisha’s Chief Minister for an impressive 24 years, was on the verge of making history. A sixth consecutive term would have made him India’s longest-serving Chief Minister. However, the BJP’s strong showing in this election appears to have thwarted that ambition.