The purported cordial relation between the BJD and the BJP in Odisha on their run up to the 2024 polls has seemingly paled with both the main rivals have out their fingers on each penny to extract as much dividend

With the Biju Janata Dal and the Bharatiya Janata Party having gone their own ways to 2024, the BJD has kick started the mind game narratives to outflank the closest rival the BJP with a claim to win a comfortable three fourth majority in the Assembly.

It was  a massive slap on the face of the BJP in 2019 elections when BJD had won 114 seats out of the total of 147 seats in the Assembly and the BJP was a poor second which won only 22 seats while the Congress was pushed to the third position bagging just 9 seats.

The scene this time is also not much different as both are going alone although an element of competitive zeal lies underneath the saffron camp while for the BJD, it is a prestige issue to prove that, for Odisha Naveen Patnaik matters.         

Similarly the BJD war-room is abuzz with whispers to repeat the same in the 21 Lok Sabha seats or do better .

Taking the rage further BJD’s new superman V K Pandian on Sunday last was on record telling that, the people should not look at the candidates, no matter whosoever, they can simply vote for Naveen Patnaik as the only face and nobody else.

And at the same time Pandian also adds fuel to the fire saying that, this time BJD shall win three fourth majority in the Assembly alluding that the BJD would win more than 100 seats in a house of 147.

A claim which may send jitters in the saffron camp and double the animus between the both.

It should be the same in the Lok Sabha and so BJD aims to, what Pandian has predicted.

It may be recalled that, the BJP during the purported alliance talks that failed, had the inhibition that BJD should fight for 100 Assembly seats even.

But now the BJD has turned the table on the rivals and means that in everything is fair in love and war. It is not that all is well with the BJD and the BJP. Rebel factors have already surfaced in both the camps.

In some key constituencies where there has been change in candidates poached from any rival parties, there are voices of despondency from within, either  the BJD or the BJP admitting turncoats and ejecting their own party leaders.                                 

 For example, in the coastal Odisha, Balasore is a high profile Lok Sabha constituency from where the BJP leader Kharvela Swain remained a house hold name winning from there two times but this time the BJP has fielded Pratap Sarangi, a two time MP  who has to take on another BJP turncoat Lekhashree Samantasinghar, a popular BJP face till the other day and its most vocal spokesperson against BJD for last one decade.

This time it will be a double whammy for Lekhashree as besides Sarangi , Kharvela Swain is also going to fight as an independent candidate from Balasore.  And the latter two having their roots in the BJP, and Lekhashree was also a BJP leader till the other day, that grows to be a harder task for the voters.  

Likewise in another key Lok Sabha constituency Berhampur, in Ganjam district, BJD has fielded Bhrugu Buxipatra, who days back had quit the saffron tag and joined the BJD. Although Buxipatra had lost in Berhampur as a BJP candidate in 2019 by a thin margin. Where some BJD leaders have taken offense of the new BJD candidate Buxipatra.

After winning the Cuttack Lok Sabha for six times as a BJD candidate Bhatruhari Mehtab recently joined the BJP and again contesting from there. Not viewed as a mass leader yet Mehtab had been winning the seat simply piggybacking on Naveen’s name now faces an undercurrent of revolt from within the BJP cadres.

For the Bhubaneswar Lok Sabha seat the BJD seems on the back foot against the sitting MP from the BJP Aparajita Sarangi, as the BJD fielded a political novice Manmath Routray, son of a veteran Congress legislator Suresh Routray. So that the BJD can garner the votes from the Congress and the BJD as well. Obviously, for the new BJD face, Routray, it will be a tough task.

Another key Lok sabha seat in Western Odisha, Kandhamal, a citadel of tribal vote bank, so far appears to be safe for the BJD as it has re-fielded Achyut Samanta, an educationist turned politician who has been nurturing the district for quite long  does not find any potential threat from the BJP candidate Sukanta Sarangi, a lesser known BJP leader.

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