Bhubaneswar: With BJP slowly inching closer, BJD’s performance in Western Odisha in the ongoing three-tier Panchayat polls has left the ruling party with a lot to think about. The ruling-party’s poor show in the Western parts of Odisha has been beyond comprehension for many both inside and outside the party.
Out of the 189 Zilla Parishad zones across 10 western Odisha districts where polls have been conducted till now, the BJD has only be able to claim only 51. Even the party admits that their calculation has gone absolutely wrong as far as Western Odisha is concerned.
“Calculation has gone totally wrong. We never expected Congress to put up such a weak performance in Western Odisha and not field any candidates. We had absolutely no idea that the grassroots cadres of the Congress would transfer their votes. However, places where our calculations have gone wrong will be reviewed and set right,” said BJD spokesperson, Surya Narayan Patro.
Also Read: BJD blames overconfidence for lost ground in Panchayat polls
Interestingly, the BJP has found success in stronghold regions of Coastal and Northern Odisha.
While some of the party leaders have raised fingers on the bureaucrats for party’s such decline in performance, others continue to flag the issue of complacency and overconfidence within the party cadres.
“I have never allowed any bureaucrats to enter my constituency. Given my track record, the panchayat voters have bestowed their faith on me once again,” said Agriculture minister, Pradeep Maharathy.
“We will examine if there have been any election management-related issues which led to such a performance. Another reason could be our inability to assess the changing political equation in the state. However, I feel that self confidence is necessary, but it should not turn into overconfidence,” said BJD spokesperson, Amar Satpathy.
On the other hand, as per BJD’s spokesperson, Rabi Narayan Nanda’s analysis “The party workers were involved in the elections and their focus was on the sarpanch and samiti member posts. This could be the reason why the party lost focus on the ZP zones.”