Odisha chief minister and Biju Janata Dal president Naveen Patnaik kicked off his party’s campaign on Wednesday for a record sixth term from home turf Hinjili assembly seat, which falls in the Aska Lok Sabha constituency in Ganjam district, promising a “youth budget”, making the state “number 1″ by its centenary in 2036, and casting the opposition as “anti-development”.
As the BJD campaign jingle, “5T, 5T, 5T, Naveen Guarantee”, “Nabin Odisha, mo pragati bhasha” prepped up the gathering, Patnaik spoke briefly about farmers, women, and his next top priority, the youth. “Today, the farmers in Odisha are getting loans at zero per cent rate of interest. Mothers in Mission Shakti are getting loans at zero per cent. Odisha is the first state to have a separate budget for farmers. For involving the youth in the state’s development, we will bring a ‘youth budget’. 2024-2034 will be the decade of Odisha. 2036 will mark 100 years of Odisha as a state. In 2036, Odisha will become the ‘number one’,” promised the veteran politician and longest-serving chief minister of India.
With 5T secretary and close aide VK Pandian on the stage, Odisha’s gentleman politician targeted the opposition without naming anyone specifically. “Development is our identity. However, it is unfortunate that the opposition is indulging in politics over every issue, opposing development and spreading misinformation. Their anti-development attitude, whether it is the Shri Jagannath Prakalpa project, Ekamra project, or the Samalei project, is well recognised by the people of Odisha. The people of Odisha recognise the true face of the opposition,” said Patnaik. It is interesting to note that the three constituencies he targeted are Puri, Bhubaneswar, and Sambalpur, which are set to witness a tight contest this time. In 2019, the BJD had lost the Bhubaneswar and Sambalpur Lok Sabha constituencies and could retain Puri by a thin margin.
In a repeat of the strategy in 2019, the five-time Odisha chief minister is contesting from two constituencies this time. Apart from Hinjili, Patnaik will contest from Kantabanji in the western region of Odisha. The BJD leader has been winning from Hinjili successively since 2000. In 2019, Patnaik, contesting from Hinjili for the fifth time, won by a margin of over 60,000 votes, or 42.9%, which was a slight drop from his winning margin in 2014 of over 76,500 votes and 62.8%. In 2019, contesting for the first time from the Bijepur assembly constituency in Bargarh district in the western part of Odisha, Patnaik won by a handsome margin of over 50,000 votes or 31.2%.
Addressing the voters of his constituency once more, Patnaik said, “I am happy to kickstart the 2024 campaign from Hinjili-Shergargh. The Biju Janata Dal’s victory march has started from Hinjili-Shergarh.” Thanking the people for their continued support since 1998, Patnaik said he would continue to work for their welfare till the very end. “You have always been with me. You have always supported our programmes. You have given me the opportunity to serve Odisha. I am indebted to you for your support, love, and regard. I have always said that the 4.5 crore brothers and sisters of Odisha are my family. I have always worked relentlessly for the welfare of the 4.5 crore family of my Odisha and will continue to do that till the end of my time,” the soft-spoken politician vowed.
Amid applause and slogans of “Naveen Patnaik Zindabad”, the CM then addressed the voters of his constituency. “It is because of your cooperation that Odisha has been moving ahead on the path of transformation. Hinjili-Shergargh is a model of development for the entire country. I had started the 5T transformation of schools and hospitals from Hinjili-Shergarh. Temple development work had started from the peetha of Ma Tara Tarini. Your cooperation ensured the success of these projects and showed the way for the state. I am proud of your support,” he said.
Odisha goes for simultaneous Lok Sabha and assembly polls in four phases beginning May 13. Campaigning for both the elections, the chief minister, who remains popular even after five terms, pitched “Jodi sankha” (twin conch), as the symbol for development and Odisha. The conch is the BJD’s election symbol. “Jodi sankha is the symbol of Odisha. Jodi sankha is the symbol of development,” he said. “With your support, the BJD will score a thumping victory in the Vidhan Sabha and do well in the Lok Sabha also. Our victory procession will continue.”
Ranjita Sahu, the BJD’s Lok Sabha candidate from the Aska seat, appealed for the support of the people. “I represent women and youth. You must have seen the chief minister’s commitment towards women’s empowerment. Many women have become financially independent through Mission Shakti and manage homes as well,” she said.
In 2019, BJD candidate Pramilla Bisoyi, a Self Help Group (SHG) worker in the state’s flagship programme Mission Shakti, won the Aska Lok Sabha seat by a margin of over 2 lakh votes, defeating BJP’s Anita Subhadarshini.
Ranjita Sahu is a young activist who works for migrants. Ganjam is home to lakhs of migrant workers who leave their homes to work in diamond factories in Surat and elsewhere in Gujarat. This will be Sahu’s electoral debut and she will take on Subhadarshini who has been retained by the BJP. Naveen Patnaik’s first election was from the Aska Lok Sabha constituency, which fell vacant after the death of his father Biju Patnaik in 1997. Aska is one of the most prestigious constituencies in Odisha.
After the chief minister completed his speech, Pandian, who was by his side, also addressed the gathering very briefly, urging people to vote for the CM and the BJD’s Lok Sabha candidate Ranjita Sahu by record margins.
In 2019, the BJD won 112 of the 147 Odisha assembly seats and over 45% of the vote share. The BJP won 23 with 38% of the vote share and the Congress was pushed to the third position with just 9 seats and a little over 16% of the votes. In the Lok Sabha polls, the BJD won 12 seats, the BJP won 8, and the Congress could win just 1. The Odisha elections are expected to be more fiercely fought this time.
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