Odisha Assembly elections Results 2024 LIVE: BJP wins 23 seats in Odisha, leads in 57, EC data shows

Odisha Assembly polls: The Odisha Assembly polls 2024 will elect 147 members to the Odisha Legislative Assembly. The results, along with Lok Sabha polls, will be announced on June 4, 2024. This election is crucial for determining the state's governance and representation at both state and national levels. The assembly and Lok Sabha elections in Odisha took place simultaneously, in four phases, from May 13 to June 1. 

Odisha Assembly polls LIVE:

>  the BJP has a lead of 80 seats with BJD having 47 leads, Congress 16, CPI-M, and INDI Alliance a seat lead each.

> BJP has won in Chilika, Bargarh, and Jharsuguda. Congress secured victory in Chitrakonda. BJD clinched Rourkela by 3552 votes.

> at 2.45 PM, BJP was consolidated its lead in 76 seats, while BJP was ahead in 53 seats. Congress was leading in 16 seats. 

> BJD has won Rourkela seat with a margin of 3552. The candidate, Sarada Prasad Nayak received 64660 votes. 

 

> BJP has crossed the majority mark in the state of Odisha. The BJP is leading in 76 seats, while BJD is leading in 53 seats. Congress is leading on 12 seats. 

> The saffron party is leading in 72 seats including Bargarh, Kalahandi, Balangir, Puri, Sambalpur and Keonjhar.

> CM Naveen Patnaik is currently trailing from Kantabanji by aeoun 800 votes after 2nd round of counting. BJP's Laxman Bag is now leading from the seat.

> Congress is leading in Bolangir, Bhawaipatna, Malkhangiri, Pottangi, Mohana, and Gunupur. 

 

> BJP leading in 73 seats, BJD in 50 seats, Congress in 12 seats, ECI data shows at 11 AM

> BJP maintains considerable leads in Odisha assembly polls according to initial trends. At 10.10 AM, BJP is ahead in 42 seats, BJD at 14, Congress at 6.

> The Election Commission of India, in its early trends, said the ruling BJD in Odisha is currently neck-and-neck with the BJP in the state's Assembly polls.

On June 2, the India Today-Axis My India exit poll predicted that the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) will be having close fight with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Both are projected to win 62-80 seats in the 147-member assembly. Other parties in the fray are Indian National Congress, and Communist Party of India (Marxist), and others. 

According to the projections, the BJP, with a 32.49% vote share in 2019, is now expected to secure 42% of the votes, marking a nearly 10% increase. The Congress is projected to rank third with five to eight seats and 12% of the votes.

In the 2019 Assembly Elections, Odisha's electorate, participating in concurrent state and Lok Sabha polls, awarded 117 seats to the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), 23 to the BJP, and nine to the Congress. BJD President Naveen Patnaik, who first assumed office as Chief Minister in 2000, was re-elected for a fifth consecutive term. This distinguished him as one of India's longest-serving chief ministers.

For the Lok Sabha elections, Odisha has a total of 21 Parliamentary seats, some are reserved for Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) candidates. A historical perspective shows that during the previous elections in 2019, under Naveen Patnaik's leadership, BJD won 12 seats while BJP acquired 8 positions; the Indian National Congress secured merely 1 seat.

For the Lok Sabha elections, the India Today-Axis My India exit poll indicated a significant shift in the political landscape of Odisha. BJP is projected to secure between 18 and 20 seats, while BJD may only manage to win between 0 and 2 seats. 

In terms of vote share, BJP leads with an anticipated 51%, followed by BJD at 33%, and Congress at 13%. These projections are based on extensive polling data gathered from interviews with approximately 580,000 individuals across all 543 parliamentary constituencies.

Similarly, the C-Voter exit poll showed that BJP will likely capture between 17 and 19 out of the total 21 Lok Sabha seats in Odisha, whereas BJD may achieve only up to three seats. Meanwhile, News18's exit poll predicted that BJP could emerge victorious in about 15 constituencies with BJD securing 6 to 8 seats.

Main issues in the state
 
The BJD is currently experiencing its most challenging electoral contest in its history of over two and a half decades, grappling to recreate its previous impressive showings amidst a significant surge of anti-incumbency in the current elections.

BJP and BJD didn't join hands before the Lok Sabha polls. Manmohan Samal, BJP's state unit chief, emphasized the necessity of a 'double engine government' for faster state development. He mentioned that Modi government's welfare schemes were not effectively benefiting Odisha's people.

Other than this, Odisha experienced the highest combined retail inflation rate in India in February this yera, registering an increase to 7.55% from 6.75% in the preceding fiscal year (2022-2023). A recent survey indicated that 42% of voters consider inflation to be a pivotal issue when casting their votes.

Jobs: A survey found that 46% prioritise jobs in voting. The state sanctioned nine projects worth Rs 873 crore last year, set to generate 2,500 jobs. Sectors include chemical, renewable energy, plastic, steel, agro-food processing, and tourism.

CM Naveen Patnaik raised dearness allowance and relief by 4% for state employees and pensioners from January 1, bringing the total to 50%. This adjustment will benefit around 4.5 lakh employees and 3.5 lakh pensioners.

The BJP, which was once an ally of BJD, has emerged as the main opposition party in the coastal state of Odisha in recent years. During the campaign for the recent assembly elections, PM Narendra Modi and the BJP focused their criticisms on Naveen Patnaik's health and his apparent attempts to pave the way for VK Pandian, a trusted aide and bureaucrat-turned-BJD member originally from Tamil Nadu, to become the Chief Minister of Odisha. 

This move by the BJD was seen as an attempt to consolidate power and influence within the party, which raised concerns among the Opposition. The BJP's aggressive stance against the ruling party and their tactics sparked a heated debate among voters and politicians alike, with many questioning the legitimacy and fairness of the political maneuvering taking place in the state. The political landscape in Odisha has seen a significant shift with the BJP's rise as the principal opposition party, setting the stage for a potentially contentious and closely contested election.

Naveen Patnaik as Odisha CM

Following a brief tenure as Union Steel Minister from 1998 to 1999 under former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Naveen Patnaik was sworn in as Chief Minister of Odisha on March 5, 2000. Since assuming office, he has shown little interest in national politics, choosing instead to dedicate his efforts to the state. Biju Janata Dal (BJD), which was founded on December 26, 1997, has remained consistently in power since its inception. 

Up until 2009, the BJD maintained an alliance with BJP. However, ahead of the 2009 elections and following disagreements over anti-Christian riots, the BJD severed ties with the BJP. Subsequently, Patnaik's leadership propelled the party to secure more than 100 seats in each of the subsequent State Assembly Elections held in 2009, 2014 and again in 2019 within Odisha’s 147-member legislative assembly. Additionally, despite contesting independently post-2009 breakup with BJP allies proved fruitful; showcasing remarkable performance also evident through their Lok Sabha election results.

The 77-year-old Patnaik's wide-ranging personal appeal is not solely attributable to his targeted welfare initiatives; it also stems significantly from the considerable acceptance and credibility he has garnered due to his unblemished image. Throughout his 24 years in office, Patnaik has maintained a reputation free of scams and irregularities, and has consistently taken public action against colleagues accused of corruption. Nevertheless, during election campaigns, opposition leaders opted to focus on issues related to his health.

Important constituencies

Hinjili, Kantabanji, Digapahandi, Nayagarh, Bhandaripokhari, Sambalpur, Brajarajnagar, Jharsuguda, Rourkela, Pipili, Anandpur and Keonjhar are some of the key Assembly constituencies in Odisha.