Once purported as a goodwill bond between the Biju Janata Dal and the Bharatiya Janata Party in Odisha takes a bitter twist in last two days turning to be a great face off for the ensuing 2024 mega polls.

Naveen Patnaik, chief minister of Odisha, in his maiden campaign this season was just unsparing by calling upon the people to vote for only the BJD on the Conch symbol for the Assembly and the Lok Sabha.

While recounting the numerous welfare schemes by his government the CM said that, the rivals are upset and trying to engage themselves in spewing vitriolic against his dispensation.

Contrary to the general perception that the old bonhomie between Modi and Patnaik, the tenor of the campaign by the BJD may lean in favor of the BJP for the PM’s quest for maximum number of Lok Sabha seats now sounds shrill as the BJD is not in a mood to give up a real contest.    

Naveen Patnaik kick-starts his first ever election campaign from his home Assembly constituency Hinji, in the Ganjam district on Wednesday.

Thus he set aside speculations that the BJD would relent when it is the question of Lok Sabha seats.

 

Today’s speech by Patnaik has the undertone of a challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s quest for an edge over the BJD in the Lok Sabha seats in Odisha.

Regardless of the bonhomie between the PM and the CM , political observers look at Naveen’s new stance as a   combative one which can further intensify the situation as the poll dates come closer.

 

It was a reminiscence of  2019 with a bus-ride first through the constituency and then the chief minister addressed the people from the stage of a public meeting when a mammoth crowd kept cheering the chief minister despite the sizzling heat and humidity.

The five time chief minister loudly recounted his government’s achievements among which he underlined the salient features like Odisha’s record in handling so many natural disasters in which Southern Odisha always remains a common target.

He also underlined few path-breaking initiatives towards women`s empowerment besides health and education in his constituency.

 

On the other hand the Union Minister, Amit Shah, in his speech in Sonepur in Odisha on Thursday spat venom  against Naveen regime dubbing it as inert, corrupt and bureaucratic driven.

Shah alleged that under Naveen’s rule the State’s graph in the field of development has gone down pathetically taking Odisha back to ten years.

Amit Shah appealed to the people to give BJP a chance and see what all can be done under Modi and charged the BJD for stealing the welfare programs launched by the Centre and giving it the name of the state regime under Naveen.

Naveen’s over dependence on certain bureaucrats has opened the floodgates of corruption in the State which is monoploised by the handful of officers. That was an apparent swipe at a particular group of bureaucrats which constitute the close coterie under Patnaik that runs the show.

Shah made an appeal to the people to help BJP to throw out BJD from its roots and give the BJP a chance.