Now Reading: BJD sees chance to regain ground in Odisha after Pradhan exit
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BJD sees chance to regain ground in Odisha after Pradhan exit
The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) sees a political opportunity in Odisha after the resignation of former Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who quit following protests by the Cockroach Janata Party. The BJD's confidence…
The Story in Brief
The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) sees a political opportunity in Odisha after the resignation of former Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who quit following protests by the Cockroach Janata Party. The BJD's confidence comes from ground-level conversations critical of the BJP-led state government's pace of development, law and order, and error-ridden school textbooks. The BJD has lost three Rajya Sabha MPs and eight MLAs, reducing its assembly strength from 51 to 42. However, political observers say the disintegration is contained, far less than expected after 24 years of BJD rule. Party supremo Naveen Patnaik has become more accessible and is distancing himself from the BJP.
The Indian Opinion
The BJD's optimism may be premature. The narrative that the BJP government is failing ignores that the party itself lost heavily in 2024 after 24 years in power. Complaints about development pace are common in any new government's early years. What is often overlooked is that the BJD's own record on law and order and fiscal management was not flawless. A more useful test will be whether the BJD can win back MLAs who defected, or if Naveen Patnaik's renewed activism can actually sway voters in the next local body elections.
Source: thehindu.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
