BJP’s tryst with expansion finds BJD, Cong in the way
Replicating models from other states, saffron party to use booth- level strategy for election victory
The BJP, eyeing expansion in eastern India to compensate for any possible reversal of fortunes in northern and central parts in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, is set to face a tough battle in Odisha.
The saffron party is at loggerheads with both Naveen Patnaik- led ruling Biju Janata Dal ( BJD) and the Congress in the state.
For the BJD, the BJP has emerged as the main rival since the saffron party got the second largest vote share in the state in 2017 panchayat elections. In the elections, the BJP zoomed past the Congress and grabbed the second spot by winning 297 zilla parishad seats against 476 bagged by the BJD, signalling that it was not far from dealing a body blow to the BJD in the Assembly and Lok Sabha polls next year.
The Congress, fighting the internal bickering for nearly two decades, has now embarked upon a vigorous campaign against the BJP and BJD under the new state chief Niranjan Patnaik.
Supported by a group of highly skilled social media managers, leaders of the party’s student and youth wings, the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee ( OPCC) has forced
Emboldened by its 40- lakh membership drive, BJP has set the ball rolling in the 36,000odd booths in the 147 Assembly segments
both the BJP and BJD to go on the back foot on the issue of petrol and diesel prices. It blamed the BJP for failing to contain the fuel prices and condemned the BJD for not accepting the demand for slashing a portion of its “hefty” 26 per cent value added tax ( VAT) on petrol and diesel. The party’s call for six- hour Chakka Bandh call on June 4 in the twin city of Cuttack and Bhubaneswar evoked a neartotal response, indicating the party's re- emergence in the state's political scene as a force to be reckoned with.
The Congress’ rise, according to experts, will surely make a dent in the growth of the BJP. Until recently, the BJP was growing in strength as a large number of Congress leaders and workers joined it.
The saffron party has to find out an alternative strategy to pre- empt a possible damage by luring BJD leaders and workers to its side.
Of the total 2.61 crore voters in Odisha, 78.03 per cent voters exercised their franchise in the 2017 panchayat polls. Of this, the BJD got the largest share of 42 per cent, two per cent less than its 2014 Assembly elections vote percentage while the BJP jumped to 32 per cent from 19 per cent in 2014. The Congress was content with 18 per cent votes.
However, the Congress had got 25 per cent votes in 2014 Assembly elections.
Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and two Union ministers from Odisha — Dharmendra Pradhan and Jual Oram — the BJP had been steadily climbing new heights of popularity in the state since 2014, but the BJD and Congress have recently pushed it to the wall, mainly on the issue of dispute with Chhattisgarh over Mahanadi waters.
Chhattisgarh has constructed numerous dam projects on the Mahanadi river allegedly without consulting Odisha, a cobasin state located downstream.
Analysts say that both the Congress and BJD, to a great extent, have succeeded in spreading a message that despite their protests to the “mindless” construction activities on the river by Chhattisgarh, the Narendra Modi government did not take any action.
BJP leaders, after putting up a brave front on the Mahanadi issue for quite some time, have finally conceded that the Chhattisgarh government was “wrong” in not taking into confidence Odisha, a co- basin state, before constructing on the Mahanadi.
The BJD and Congress are fanning a strong anti- saffron wave on the Special Category status to the state and discontinuation of certain Central and Central-sponsored programmes.
In the backdrop of several obstacles, it appears to be an uphill task for the BJP to increase its strength. Of the 21 Lok Sabha seats, the party won only Sundargarh seat in 2014 polls. Similarly, it got only 10 members in the 147- member state Assembly in the 2014 elections.
The BJP’s focus on Odisha can well be judged from the fact that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has visited the state as many as six times since 2014. During every visit, he has talked about the tardy growth of eastern India and urged people to bring BJP to power for faster development.
Sources in the BJP said the party, emboldened by its 40- lakh membership drive, has set the ball rolling in the 36,000- odd booths in the 147 Assembly segments. It has appointed at least 70 people in each booth through a “Mo booth sabuthu mazboot ( my booth strongest)” programme.
The BJP’s game plan harps on getting at least one crore votes to go past the 100- plus mark.