Yearender 2024: A year in Odisha politics that witnessed demolition of 24-year-old citadel of BJD

The year 2024 will go down in Odisha politics as the most tumultuous year with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) forming the government for the first time in the state and the 24-year-long Naveen Patnaik-led Biju Janata Dal (BJD) government suffering the drubbing it had hardly anticipated in its wildest dreams.  

By the time the Election Commission announced the dates for Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in Odisha on March 16, the state had already witnessed a charged political atmosphere with the three major political parties, BJD, BJP and Congress starting their spadework 

The Perks & Pandian

Well before the announcement of the election dates, the BJD announced projects worth crores of rupees for prominent religious shrines like Puri Jagannath temple, Keonjhar’s Maa Tarini’s temple and Sambalpur’s Maa Samaleswari temple, to name a few and doled out a series of perks for various segments of the society including College students. These were touted as election-related perks. 

And by then, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s (now Leader of Opposition) secretary and trusted IAS officer Vairab Kartikeyan Pandian was already in the limelight as he was touring all the 147 Assembly constituencies. 

As it was par for the course, Pandian took voluntary retirement on October 23, 2023 and officially joined BJD on November 27, 2023. The 77-year-old bachelor politician, Naveen Patnaik, was then marching ahead to his sixth term as Odisha’s Chief Minister and setting his eyes on becoming the longest serving Chief Minister in India. 

Man Proposes, God Disposes

After the announcement of election dates, words were doing rounds that an alliance would be forged between the BJD and BJP. Then, an announcement came from BJP state President Manmohan Samal that BJP would go solo. 

Thereafter, BJP’s national leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched whirlwind visits to Odisha, seemed determined to topple the BJD government. BJD used the ‘Odia Asmita’ as its main weapon against BJD, directly targeting Pandian, who happens to be from Tamil Nadu. That apart, it went to the people with issues like non-Odia contractors being awarded most tenders, the Chief Minister not being able to speak Odia even after ruling for such a long period and his health conditions. 

At a meeting, PM Modi even exuded his confidence, saying June 4 was the ‘expiry date’ of BJD. Addressing a rally at Kanisi, under the Berhampur constituency, PM Modi had said, “Today is May 6 and by June 6, a BJP Chief Minister will be nominated and an oath-taking ceremony will take place on June 10.”

The much-awaited political battle the state had ever witnessed took place in four phases on May 13, May 20, May 25 and June 1, and the counting was held on June 4. And the results that emerged left everyone surprised, more the BJD leaders. The citadel of the 24-year-old BJD government fell apart, paving the way for the Saffron Party. 

A Govt of Many Firsts 

After a thumping victory (a majority of 78 seats), the political heat soon subsided, giving way to speculations as to who would become the Chief Minister of the first BJP government in Odisha. Putting all speculations to an end, the party announced on June 11 that Mohan Charan Majhi would become Odisha’s first BJP Chief Minister. The Party also announced the name of Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo and Pravati Parida as the two Deputy Chief Ministers. 

Mohan Majhi, who started his career as a teacher, is a four-time MLA from tribal-dominated Keonjhar district. Before winning his first Assembly election, he was elected as a Sarpanch, taking baby steps towards a political career. He sent out a good message by visiting Naveen Niwas, the residence of Naveen Patnaik, ahead of his swearing-in ceremony on June 12.