Bijepur by-poll: BJP fails litmus test

BHUBANESWAR: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s failure to repeat its Zilla Parishad poll performance in Bijepur by-election has certainly put a question mark on the 120+ mission set by national president of the party Amit Shah for the 2019 Assembly election.

Riding high on the success of last year’s ZP election, particularly in Bargarh district, the BJP was over confident of winning the by-poll from Bijepur, a Congress stronghold. However, the voters of the constituency have handed over a crushing defeat to the saffron party by electing the nominee of the ruling BJD.The BJP had won 25 of the total 34 ZP seats in the Western Odisha district while BJD bagged nine seats. In the Bijepur Assembly segment, the party had done extremely well by cornering six of the seven ZP seats leaving just one to the ruling outfit.

The by-poll was a litmus test for the BJP which is aiming to wrest power from the ruling BJD in the next Assembly election, which is just a year away. The party has set an ambitious target to win more than 120 seats in a Assembly of 147 seats. After coming to power at the Centre, the BJP stepped up its organisational activities in the State under the direct supervision of Shah to keep the party battle-ready.
On the other hand, even after keeping his party’s supremacy in the ZP poll, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik was quick to respond to the changing situation by mobilising the party workers to further consolidate the organisation. His efforts showed positive results during the recent by-election to some ZP seats and the big result came from Bijepur.

The BJP could not turn the table against the BJD despite launching a high-voltage campaign by roping in several Union Ministers including Smriti Irani. Despite the defeat, BJP has reasons to cheer as its  performance has improved significantly so far as Bijepur Assembly segment is concerned. The saffron party, which finished third in the 2009 election, polled little over 30,000 votes in the 2014 Assembly election. The party’s vote share has almost doubled to 33.53 percent in the by-poll where its candidate Ashok Panigrahi garnered over 60,000 votes.

The BJP, though, blamed Congress alleging that the latter joined hands with the ruling party to ensure its defeat. The Congress which has been winning the seat consecutively for three times lost its deposit this time around.“The anti-Narendra Modi forces have joined hands to defeat BJP. This is clearly evident from the election results,” said State BJP vice-president Samir Mohanty.

Naveen thanks Bijepur people for support

Bhubaneswar: BJD supremo and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik thanked the people of Bijepur for reposing their faith in the BJD and its candidate in by-poll on Wednesday. “I would like to express my deep gratitude to the people of Bijepur Assembly constituency for having showered their blessings on BJD. Odisha is a peaceful State and violence has no place here,” he said. Appreciating the efforts of each and every BJD worker who has worked hard for the win, Naveen in the micro-blogging site stated that the party will continue its efforts to build a prosperous and empowered Odisha. “Humbled by love and trust of the people of Bijepur for giving @bjd_Odisha a massive victory. BJD lives in the hearts of the people of Odisha. Our people are peace loving and have rejected the politics of hatred and violence,” he tweeted. Meanwhile, BJD celebrated the landslide victory of the party candidate in the by-poll at several places in the State. Several party leaders arrived at Naveen Nivas to celebrate the win and congratulate the Chief Minister.

We will introspect reasons for party’s defeat: Pradhan
Bhubaneswar: The State BJP on Wednesday blamed Congress for its defeat in the Bijepur by-election. The saffron party which has been accusing the ruling BJD of having a secrete understanding with the Congress to defeat the BJP candidate in the by-poll, said the election results made it more evident. Accepting the Bijepur verdict, Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan said perhaps the party failed to articulate the failures of the Naveen Patnaik government to the voters.  “The Congress has lost relevance in State politics. The BJP will play the role of a responsible opposition by raking up people’s problem more aggressively,” Pradhan said. The party will introspect the reason behind the party’s defeat and take corrective measures, he added.

Harichandan quits?
Bhubaneswar: Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Prasad Harichandan is reported to have resigned following the dismal performance of the Congress candidate in the Bijepur by-poll. Sources said he resigned after the result of the by-poll was announced. However, there is no official confirmation on Harichandan’s resignation. The OPCC president is also not available for comment on the matter. There is a demand for removal of Harichandan as OPCC president since the panchayat polls last year in which Congress finished third after BJD and BJP. A section within the party has been lobbying against him citing the party’s dismal performance in 2017 Zilla Parishad polls after which the high command had deputed a central team to assess the political situation in the State. Though the team has already submitted its report, no action has been taken on its recommendations.