BJP set to sweep Odisha with leads in 19 of 21 Lok Sabha seats

Bhubaneswar, June 4: The BJP is poised to dominate the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in Odisha, maintaining a substantial lead in 19 out of 21 seats. 

In Bargarh, Pradeep Purohit leads with the largest margin, surpassing 220,000 votes against BJP defector Parinita Mishra, who ran on a BJD ticket. Similarly, in Mayurbhanj, BJP’s Naba Charan Majhi is ahead by over 150,000 votes against BJD’s prominent leader Sudam Marndi. The BJP's strategy to field Rairangpur MLA Majhi instead of the sitting MP, Bishweswar Tudu, appears to be effective.

In Sundargarh, former Union Minister Jual Oram holds a lead of 130,000 votes against hockey legend Dilip Tirkey of BJD. Malvika Keshari Deo is also leading her BJD opponent Lambodar Nial in Kalahandi by over 110,000 votes.

Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan is leading by over 110,000 votes against BJD organizational secretary Pranab Prakash Das in the Sambalpur seat. In Berhampur, BJP’s Pradeep Panigrahi leads by 100,809 votes over BJD's Bhrugu Baxipatra in a contest of turncoats.

Sangeet Singh Deo is on track for a third term as Parliamentarian from Balangir, leading by 94,827 votes over Congress defector Surendra Singh Bhoi, who contested under the BJD banner for the first time. Sambit Patra, who narrowly lost to Pinaki Misra in 2019, now leads by 90,981 votes against BJD’s Arup Patnaik in Puri.

BJP’s Balabhadra Majhi is keeping another BJD heavyweight, Pradeep Majhi, in check with a lead of 78,800 votes. Former Union Minister Pratap Sarangi maintains the BJP's hold with a 76,758 vote lead over ex-party colleague Lekhasri Samantsinghar, now with BJD.

Ananta Nayak of BJP leads by 86,231 votes against BJD’s Dhanurjay Sidu in Keonjhar, and Avimanyu Sethi leads by 65,961 votes against sitting BJD MLA Majulata Mandal in Bhadrak. BJP’s Anita Subhadarshini has breached the BJD stronghold with a 60,405 vote lead against Ranjita Sahu.

In Dhenkanal, Rudra Narayan Pany leads by 48,743 votes against BJD newcomer Abinash Samal. Bhartruhari Mahtab is heading for a seventh consecutive victory from Cuttack, this time on a BJP ticket, leading by 36,920 votes against BJD’s corporate veteran Santrupt Misra.

Bibhu Prasad Tarai, who lost to BJD’s Mahesh Sahoo in the last elections, now leads by 30,922 votes in Dhenkanal. Incumbent BJP MP Aparajita Sarangi leads by 31,000 votes over BJD’s Manmath Routray in Bhubaneswar.

BJP national vice president Baijayant Panda leads by 24,907 votes in Kendrapada, a seat he won in 2009 and 2014 on a BJD ticket but lost in 2019 after joining BJP. Congress defector Anshuman Mohanty is the BJD candidate here.

In Kandhamal, Sukanta Panigrahi is ahead of sitting BJD MP Achyuta Samanta by 11,578 votes. The only BJD sitting MP leading is Sarmistha Sethi in Jajpur, with a slim margin of 4,941 votes. Congress’ Saptagiri Ulaka has extended his lead to 82,351 votes in Koraput, a seat he won in 2019.

In the 2019 elections, BJD secured 12 LS seats while BJP won 8, leaving Congress with one.