As per the early counting trends reported by the Election Commission of India on Tuesday, the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) in Odisha was seen leading on 24 seats, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) made significant progress, moving towards the halfway mark with 43 seats.
According to data released by the poll body, out of the 146 Assembly constituencies in Odisha, the Indian National Congress (INC) was leading on five seats, while the Communist Party of India (Marxist) – CPI(M) – was ahead on one seat, approximately two hours after the commencement of vote counting.
The voting in Odisha had concluded on June 1, concurrently with the seventh and final phase of the Lok Sabha polls. Governor Raghubar Das had dissolved the 16th Odisha state assembly on June 3, in anticipation of today’s counting.
Exit poll predictions had hinted at a significant surge for the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in Odisha during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The BJP’s efforts to penetrate the stronghold of the Biju Janata Dal were evident.
These exit polls also suggested that the BJP-led NDA was poised to retain power at the Centre with a substantial majority, potentially securing its third consecutive win in the Lok Sabha polls.
Odisha, with a total of 21 Lok Sabha constituencies and 146 Assembly constituencies, underwent polling across four phases. The first phase was held on May 13, followed by subsequent phases on May 20, May 25, and June 1.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJD maintained its stronghold by securing 12 out of 21 seats, although this represented a decline from the 20 out of 21 seats it had won in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. Meanwhile, the BJP, previously not a significant player in the state, made significant gains by capturing 8 seats in 2019, up from just 1 seat in 2014. The Congress also saw an improvement, securing 1 seat in the 2019 elections compared to zero seats in 2014.
During the last Assembly elections in 2019, out of the 147 seats, the BJD emerged victorious on 112 seats, while the BJP secured 23 seats and the Congress managed to win nine seats.
The Lok Sabha elections were conducted in seven phases, spanning from April 19 to June 1, with Odisha playing a pivotal role in shaping the political landscape of the nation.
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