Naveen Patnaik’s popularity fading, failing miserably in delivering results? BJD in turmoil after Nuapada blow

Has Naveen Patnaik’s once-unbeatable public image - the BJD’s trump card- stopped converting into votes? After the major setback in the 2024 elections, the fresh jolt from Nuapada has triggered tremors within the party. With the crisis deepening, several leaders have openly raised serious questions about the party supremo’s election management. While some have urged Naveen himself to conduct a self-assessment, others have described the Nuapada result as a “big lesson.”

The defeat in Nuapada has caused ripples across the BJD. Questions are being raised about the candidate-selection process. Despite Naveen’s enduring popularity, why did the party slip to the third position in the by-election?

Yesterday, Naveen posted on social media, reflecting on the rise and fall of the BJD. But today, senior BJD leader Prafulla Samal advised party workers to stay united while asserting that merely talking about rise and fall is not enough — the real reasons behind the defeat must be identified.

Also Read: Rebellion intensifies within BJD as leaders, workers vent anger after Nuapada defeat

"We have considered the defeat as the rise and fall. We have won four times. Naveen Babu is making a review on why did we get defeated. I request that the mistake should not be repeated in future," said BJD leader Prafulla Samal.

On the other hand, senior leader and Cuttack Mayor Subhash Singh, who stayed in Nuapada for 15 days leading the campaign, said the result is a lesson for the party and that a thorough self-review will be conducted to understand where things went wrong.

"This election has taught us a big lesson. We are reviewing it. Mistakes have been found in the election management. Party is also investigating some other aspects. Party is moving forward by analysing the gap between the confidence of the people," said Cuttack Mayor Subhash Singh.

Meanwhile, the senior leaders who were in charge of managing the by-election have gone completely silent after the Nuapada setback. 

The Nuapada bypoll had put Naveen’s brand value to the test. The BJD leadership appeared highly confident, with Naveen himself visiting Nuapada twice for campaigning. He even went as far as video-calling leaders entrusted with responsibilities to personally review the progress of the election campaign.

But this time, Naveen’s long-trusted political touch did not work. The voters of Nuapada turned away so strongly that the party slipped to the third position. This has triggered intense discontent within the BJD.

Party insiders cite three major reasons- first, fielding a candidate from outside the district; second, a lack of coordination and harmony among leaders on the ground; and third, an overall unclear political approach.

"After 2024, BJD has turned into the Opposition party and they don't have the advantage as the ruling party anymore. There has been dissatisfaction inside BJP regarding the successor of Naveen babu. As there has been no clarity in the party's vision, it is doing a lot of damage. If there will be no clarity about BJD's leadership and they are not able to unite the dissatisfied leaders and workers, the party will suffer more damage in future," said political analyst Sandeep Mishra.

After the 2024 debacle, senior BJD leaders had sought a meeting with Naveen to introspect on the reasons for the defeat. But that meeting has not taken place yet. Now, with the Nuapada setback, it remains to be seen whether Naveen will actually accept the demand for a thorough review. The situation has created strong indications that a major explosion may be brewing within the BJD in the days ahead.