This Is Why BJD May Regret Its Decision Against Giving Puri And Bhubaneshwar Lok Sabha Seats To BJP

One of the major reasons for three weeks of intense negotiations between Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Biju Janata Dal (BJD) falling through last weekend is the latter’s adamant stand on not parting with the prestigious Puri and Bhubaneshwar Lok Sabha seats. 

The BJP was keen on contesting from these two seats, but the BJD’s stand led to the failure of the talks for forging an alliance between the two parties. 

The BJP had good reasons for demanding the two prominent seats. The BJP’s Aparajita Sarangi won the seat by defeating the BJD candidate in 2019. And the BJP, which lost the Puri seat to the BJD by a narrow margin in 2019, has gained a lot of ground over the last five years in the constituency where the eponymous temple town holds centrestage. 

Sarangi, a former IAS officer who hails from Bihar, had faced a tough fight from BJD’s Arup Patnaik, a decorated IPS officer of the Maharashtra cadre who has served as the Mumbai Police Commissioner. 

The BJD had, in the election campaign in 2019, gone all out to label Sarangi as an ‘outsider’ (though she hails from Bihar, she is married to a fellow Odiya IAS officer Santosh Sarangi) while portraying Patnaik as a ‘bhumiputra’ who had won fame outside the state and done Odisha proud. 

Bhubaneshwar has been a BJD stronghold since 1998 and was represented by senior BJD leader Prasanna Kumar Patasani, a renowned philosopher-poet and an associate of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, five times from 1998. 

Sarangi, who had become popular for her good work as the Bhubaneshwar Municipal Commissioner, won the prestigious seat by defeating Arup Patnaik conclusively. 

“Sarangi won not only because she was popular among the people of Bhubaneshwar for the good work she had done as the city’s civic chief, but also because of acute anti-incumbency against the BJD. This anti-incumbency has only intensified since 2019 because of the many failings of the Naveen Patnaik government,” BJP leader Ashish Panigrahi told Swarajya. 

Sarangi has been fielded from Bhubaneshwar once again by the BJP, and the prospects of her retaining the seat are bright. The BJD is yet to announce its candidates for the 21 Lok Sabha seats in the state. 

As for Puri, the BJP’s Sambit Patra lost to the BJD’s Pinaki Misra by a narrow margin of a little over 11,000 votes. Despite his defeat, Patra has nursed Puri and has done a lot of good work there. 

Patra has become more popular in Puri, while the image of the BJD’s Pinaki Misra has taken a beating over his alleged association with expelled Lok Sabha MP Mahua Moitra. 

The name of Misra, a Supreme Court lawyer, cropped up in the cash-for-query scam that led to Moitra’s expulsion from the Lok Sabha. 

Also, as in the rest of the state, the BJD is saddled with growing public discontent and disillusionment in Puri as well. The Naveen Patnaik-headed BJD has been in power in the state for the past 25 years and it is natural that such a long stint in power will result in growing public disquiet against the BJD. 

Sambit Patra, apart from being well-known nationally, is also a good orator. And he has been visiting Puri very frequently over the last five years, helping the people of the constituency get benefits from many centrally-sponsored welfare schemes and projects. 

“Sambit Patra is very popular in Puri, and he has a large following here. He has also done a lot for this constituency despite having been defeated in the last elections. His continued and close engagement with Puri has proved to the people of Puri that he is genuinely interested in Puri and the welfare of the people here,” said Hemananda Pradhan, a prominent servitor of the Jagannath Mandir, told Swarajya. 

BJP functionaries in Puri are quite sure of Sambit Patra winning Puri this time. “It will be a cakewalk for Sambit Patra this time. Pinaki Misra has lost public support and even if he is replaced, it won’t help since the BJD has lost a lot of support among the people of the state,” said Ashutosh Pujari, a local BJP functionary who is also associated with the Jagannath Mandir. 

All independent surveys conducted by the BJP leadership on the party’s prospects in the 21 Lok Sabha seats in Odisha are unanimous that the party will bag the two prestigious seats of Puri and Bhubaneshwar this time. 

Hence, the BJD’s refusal to part with the two seats will haunt the party after the elections. The BJD might realise that its rigid attitude over the two seats cost the party a golden chance to overcome the statewide anti-incumbency against it by getting into an alliance with the BJP. 

“The BJD will realise that its confidence (over winning Puri and Bhubaneshwar) was grossly misplaced. Not only will it face defeat in both the seats, but many other seats as well. We (the BJP) will win a maximum number of (Lok Sabha) seats this time,” said BJP state unit chief Manmohan Samal. 

Also read: Odisha BJP Leaders Happy With Failure Of Deal With BJD, Gear Up For Elections