The political speculation brewed few days back about BJD and BJP alliance in the upcoming Lok Sabha election of 2024 when the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Naveen Patnaik the Chief Minister of Odisha shared the same podium during a public programme in Sambalpur in February this year to lay the foundation stone of multiple infrastructure projects worth more than Rs. 68,000 crore.
The political analysts speculated that BJD and BJP alliance, if materialised will open new doors for the Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to make Odisha altogether a different State with adequate support of the Centre for another five years. Ultimately this fall apart as some differences cropped up between the two on seat-sharing issues. But the question was whether this combination will work this time as previously such alliance between BJD and NDA failed in the past.
Odisha’s unique set-up of concurrent Lok Sabha and Assembly Elections demonstrates the electorate’s different political choices and behaviour exemplifying split voting. Odisha held simultaneously election in 2019 and it was seen that voters cast both their votes on the same day, but splitting their voting patterns. Considering the Lok Sabha votes the BJD led in 88 out of 146 Assembly constituencies. However, on the same day for Assembly votes, the BJD won 113 out of 146 constituencies. The difference amount 25 seats and almost 2% vote share for BJD.
Great leaders never think of tomorrow but beyond that. The two leaders who have proved their leadership in ruling for years supported by other factors, the one Narendra Modi capturing the imagination and desires of people in India while Naveen Patnaik touches the mind of Odisha with hope and confidence. When the brand Modi made by himself reaches out to the need to make India rise, the brand Naveen make it similar happen in Odisha State with decisiveness and consistency, synonymous to hard work.
The Prime Minister Narendra Modi has great reverence for Naveen Patnaik, the Chief Minister of Odisha, who ruled the State at a stretch for 25 years that untouched by any of the previous Chief Ministers of the State. It is Naveen Patnaik, the head of BJD extending his party’s support to NDA lead by Narendra Modi, in many a times in Parliament Lok Sabha under legitimate grounds. Besides, he helped the BJP candidates get elected to Rajya Sabha seats with BJD’s cordial support.
The legacy of Biju Patnaik, the then Chief Minister, the great son of the soil of Odisha, is true to its context of history. Naveen Patnaik treading on the foot-prints of his great father never allowed effacing Biju Babu’s legacy, never indifferent to human beings, as the present statesman unwilling to surround sound, having an optimistic outlook.
If Ram Temple is the house of faith, the marks of new era, during Narendra Modi, the version of cultural nationalism also goes to Naveen Patnaik, because of proliferating corridors of Lord Jagannath Temple at Puri, and its Shree Mandir Parikarma Prakalpa (SMPP) to remain indelible in the history of Odisha.
