2024-06-06 12:50:01
The early trends by the Election Commission of India indicate an upset for the ruling Biju Janata Dal, as the BJP gains leads in nearly half the seats.
As a regional party, the BJD too has never been in out of power since its formation on December 26, 1997. Till 2009, both the BJD and the BJP remained in alliance.
After the regional party severed its ties with the BJP just before the 2009 election over the issue of anti-Christian riots, the party has consistently won over 100 seats in the 147-member Odisha Assembly in 2009, 2014 and 2019 State elections. The party has also fared outstandingly in the Lok Sabha elections despite fighting solo after 2009.
In the history spanning over more than two and half decades, the BJD is arguably facing its toughest electoral challenge in the current elections, struggling to replicate its past remarkable performances in the face of a strong wave of anti-incumbency.
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