Bhubaneswar: Why Naveen left Bijepur? This is the question now doing round in the state political circle.
The Odisha chief minister, Naveen Patnaik, had won from two assembly seats, Bijepur and Hinjili, in the recently held elections. Naveen, who had been getting elected from Hinjili in Ganjam district since 2000, this time decided to contest from Bijepur in Bargarh district of western Odisha.
Naveen’s foray into western Odisha politics was considered to be a political master stroke at the time of elections. Knowing well that the rival BJP is to gain from the western Odisha constituencies this time round, Naveen made his presence felt in the region with his candidature.
Naveen’s poll strategy worked when it comes to state assembly elections. But, it failed in case of Lok Sabha elections. While the BJD won over 30 seats in the western Odisha, it lost five Lok Sabha seats in the region. And, what hurt Naveen the most is the party’s defeat in Bargarh Lok Sabha seat. Even though the BJD had won all the seven assembly seats that falls under the Bargarh Lok Sabha constituency, party’s MP candidate Prasanna Acharya lost it to BJP.
Perhaps the defeat of BJD Lok Sabha candidate, a political heavy weight, weighed much in favour of Naveen quiting the Bijepur seats.
On the other hand, the thumping victory of Aska Lok Sabha candidate, Pramila Bisoi, a new comer and political novice, convinced Naveen to stick to his Hinjili constituency.
