Samikhsya Bureau
In the midst of this cross-fires between the exits and the exacts what appears to be clogged in the log-jam, starring on the face of Odisha, is the confusion confounded after the last Sunday exit polls . Keeping himself away from the madding crowd , Naveen Patnaik, the chief minister of Odisha is perhaps busy in permutation and combinations post the exit poll terrors.
Despite many claims of achievements through welfare schemes, creation of jobs and his signature feat in women’s empowerment, has anything gone off the expected track somewhere .
His was the only party which, in 2014, had swam safe through the turmoil when it was an all Modi affair across the nation but, this time, as projections indicate, his party, Biju Janata Dal, has a reason to worry as regards the Lok sabha seats.
Does he really feel something beneath his feet is slithering to bring down his party’s 20 out of 21 parliament seats. Let this not remain true till the evening of May 23, a silent buzz that must be prevailing in Naveen Patnaik’s war room.
Although it was not to be said that there were any forebodings but there was a fear about a binary pattern of voting in many parts of Odisha. Even in places still viewed to be BJD bastions. There are looming fears in the camp regardless of the fact that the BJD supremo enjoys the solace of retaining his power in Odisha but, the varying projections on Lok sabha in places where the BJD could not push hard, can put it on the edge or a tough fight with the BJP may be on the cards.
But what may work out in favour of the ruling party in Odisha is the fact that there were strayed inputs on BJD lok sabha prospects whereas, it was not the case in the case of other states. It was well known in the political circle that the fight in Odisha was being fought between two, Naveen Patnaik and Narendra Modi and both mouthing a mix of homilies and mild aspersions at each other. Which was mainly because the BJP failed to project anyone as its chief ministerial candidate and that is where Modi had to resort to the middle path like ‘running with the hare and hunting with the hound’ in Odisha.
Given the scenario where Patnaik has all the chances of coming back to power for the fifth record time but, his position, as was in 2014, of authority he had enjoyed as leverage on the Centre may reduce significantly in case the BJP manages to win even five to six Lok sabha seats.
