Odisha polls: Naveen Patnaik drives BJD home

Kendrapara MP Baijayant Panda said the 2014 results proved that the people of Odisha wanted to strengthen Patnaik in Odisha.

Surprised over his party not being able to gain from the Modi wave in terms of victory in the state, BJP state president K V Singhdeo said, “We fail to understand how Modi wave could not be translated into votes in Odisha. We will think over it.”

While there was joys and celebrations in the BJD camp, three ministers- Prasanna Acharya (finance), Rabi Narayan Nanda (school and mass education) and Pratap Keshari Deb (food and supplies) lost the polls.

Among other veterans who lost the polls were OPCC president Jaydev Jena, Congress chief whip Prasad Harichandan, senior Congress leader Lalatendu Bidyadhar Mohapatra, BJP legislature party leader J N Mishsra and party's senior leader Bijay Mohapatra.

This Assembly elections also saw a unique development when Odisha Assembly Speaker Pradip Amat won the polls. No previous speaker of OLA had won polls while occupying the chair.

Two senior Congress leaders Anup Sai and Hema Gamang, who had joined the ruling BJD before the elections, have been defeated.

The victory of two Rajya Sabha members - Rabi Narayan Mohapatra and Sashi Bhusan Behera - in the Assembly elections, would necessitate fresh elections for the two vacant seats.  The newly formed outfit Samata Kranti Dal (SKD), contesting the polls in Odisha for the first time, has got one Assembly seat with George Tirkey winning the Biramitrapur seat.