Bhubaneswar: The time for a flash back as the countdown begins for the departure of year 2019. For politicians, the year has been an ordeal by fire. However, the year had the last laugh as it made big leaders huff and puff for crown.
Being the election year, while the year delivers nightmarish moments to the frontline leaders in State, the aam admi had the gala time as it savoured check mate games played on political chessboard.
With PM Narendra Modi emerging as the Mandrake for the electorates this election with his 'double-engine' power play, CM Naveen Patnaik had a very tough time. How tough has been the elections for Naveen Patnaik?
In Naveen's own words, as said in an interview, "this election is very challenging for the party as we are seeking re-election," when the fact is Naveen was seeking re-election for a 5th term. The year had the last laugh as it made the 'reclusive' CM more sociable and air-borne CM traverse the dusty roads.
What has been the gala time for the voters is, they enjoyed Naveen's gym video, where a 'fit' Naveen was seen doing work-outs, and his whistle-stop tours, where for the first time Naveen hit the roads atop his luxurious poll-bus.
The 2019 elections in Odisha has been one of the most intensely fought battle since year 1998. And politicians of all hues pull out all tricks in the book to checkmate opponents, all of which happened in full public glare.
While the election year 2019 compelled Naveen to play the double role - entered into poll fray from Bijepur and Hinjli, a leaner BJP welcomed with open arms all disgruntled BJD leaders into its fold to shore up its numbers.
The political bone of Naveen pops up to the fore when taunting PM Modi's 'double engine' power push, asked BJP to name the loco pilot of the second engine. Naveen himself used the TINA (There is no alternative) to the hilt to browbeat BJP, when he repeatedly dared BJP to name its CM candidate for Odisha.
While BJP used all tricks in the book to make the 2019 election Modi vs Naveen, BJD twisted the State elections to Naveen vs None.
Voters had the final say. While Naveen won big in State Assembly, Modi walked away with a big slice of the BJD's cake in Lok Sabha. In Assembly polls, BJD had 113 seats in its kitty to BJP's 23. BJP won 8 lok Sabha seats in 2019 vis-a-vis a lone LS seat in 2014. BJD had 20 LS seats in 2014.
But 2019 has the last laugh as Modi and Naveen, who locked horns for the crown, became comrade in arms. Naveen pitched in with support (from Ashwini Vaishnaw, Article 370, Triple Talaq to CAA), when Modi direly needed so.
However, the year 2019 proved a bit harsh for the Grand Old Party (GOP) - the Congress. The party not only lost, but lost it very badly. Its number tally in State Assembly dropped to single digit (9) from 16 in 2014. The GOP has also lost the LOP (leader of Opposition) to its bête noire BJP.