Odisha: BJD leaders arrive at Sankha Bhawan to attend party's state council meeting

BJD Vice President Debi Prasad Mishra stated that the party Chief Naveen Patnaik winning the elections was a foregone conclusion.

"Naveen Ji winning the election (of BJD president post) is a foregone conclusion as he is the only leader who has filed the nomination..."

Patnaik is the only candidate to have filed in the nomination for the post.

He filed the nomination on April 17, which also marked his bid for the ninth consecutive term.

Addressing a press conference, BJD State Returning Officer (SRO) and party MLA Pratap Keshari Deb confirmed that Patnaik was the sole nominee for the top post.

"We are currently in the process of conducting the party's organisational elections. Today, Naveen Patnaik filed his nomination between 10 AM and 1 PM, the designated time slot. Since there is only one nomination, he will be declared the next party president," Deb said.

Patnaik has been elected as the BJD President eight times consecutively since the party's inception in 1997, with his most recent election in February 2020.

Deb also informed that the lists of district presidents and state council members have been finalised. "The next step will be the selection of the state executive members," he said.

Patnaik filed his nomination in the presence of senior party leaders and State Returning Officer (SRO) Pratap Deb at Sankha Bhawan in Bhubaneswar.

He filed his nomination on the 28th anniversary of his father's death, Biju Patnaik, after whom the regional party, the Biju Janata Dal, is named.

The 2024 elections in Odisha saw a stark contrast in the performance of the Biju Janata Dal in the assembly and Lok Sabha polls. The Bharatiya Janata Party won 78 seats out of 147, surpassing the majority mark and forming the government under Mohan Charan Majhi.

The BJD secured 51 seats, losing power after 24 years. Three independent MLAs later joined the BJP, increasing its tally to 81 seats. The Indian National Congress won 14 seats.

The BJP dominated the Lok Sabha elections, winning 20 out of 21 seats in Odisha. The BJD failed to secure even a single seat, despite having a strong presence in the state. The Congress managed to win one seat. (ANI)