Prasanta Ku. Dash
Calendar Year 2024 for Odisha is remarkable in many ways. Flow of enormous events, redefined dynamics of development, and utilization of natural resources, mobilization of human resources, socio-economic changes and demographic transformation have been phenomenal across the timeline.
Naveen-led government and BJD-ruled governance grounds with Big Zero in Odisha only in the year 2024, after a landmark period of 24 years uninterruptedly. A devastating debacle despite demographic development dynamics, dethroned the uncontested and pleasant leader Naveen Patnaik who reigned the state for five terms as Odisha Chief Minister.
The episodes of the rise and falls of Kalinga Asoka, the Aira Kharabela & the Ganga dynasties in ancient Odisha, the Kalinga or Udra, were like a series of feebles, flashed back in the scriptures. Within a certain timeline, the Kings and Emperors of the prudential province, enriched with mines & minerals with full of other valuable resources, had proved themselves phenomenal for the state and its people with their valour, values and variations in ruling and people-centric governance.
As the History of Odisha takes a note, just a few centuries ago, from the Indian Independence, Asoka was one of the greatest kings of the time who was worldwide famous for his valour and value- based regime in the Kalinga, who in turn sought prime hermitage in around 370 BC, for an unending quest of eternal peace. The ferocious Monarch termed as Chandasoka opted a common man's life ,even simpler than a religious seer.
However in Odisha, in the metamorphic form of the ancient kingdom of Kalinga now with the evolution of democracy, the statesman leader has never opted the sainthood himself. Never, he walked off the throne himself. Rather, he has lost people's mandate due to lack of confidence.
We are here, underlining the year 2024, as a pivotal timeline for the prosperous Odisha with reference to the 24 glorious years of Biju Janata Dal(BJD) which governed the state unbreakably for 24 years with absolute majority,
Breaking the ever impervious shield of the Congress regime in the state, the Janata Dal made its debut in the Odisha politics following the stalwart leader Biju Patnaik. Though, BJD in its prime pace in Odisha politics, walked hand in hand with the BJP, it parted its way out breaking the ally in 2009. Since then the BJD was proved one-man-army in scripting the date and fate of state for decades together. Naveen During his tenure as CM for over two yugas, transformed the state in many ways. His innovative projects including 5T initiatives, MoSchool, MoCollege, Srimandira Parikrama, NuaO, BSKY, KALIA, women SHG, Mission Shakti and Jaga Mission scripted a history in national politics and sketched Naveen as a tall leader of all times to come. However, the white-cladding snowy-clean leader was rejected by the people in the recently concluded election. The Party who was dreaming over 120 Assembly Constituencies with at least 16-18 Lok Sabha constituencies in the poll, for its developmental roadmaps and transformation, achieved meager seats. It acquired 51 Assembly segments losing all the LS constituencies. With it Naveen lost confidence of people whereas BJP formed government with a two-third majority clinching 78 seats in toto and secured 20 Lok Sabha segments out of the 21. The debacle in recently concluded poll for Naveen, pulled him to the Leader of Opposition’s (LoP) chair for the first time whereas the leading BJD became a second-bencher in the 147-capacity Odisha Assembly.
Among many analytics according to the strategists, behind the fall of Naveen’s empire, a number of factors were proved detrimental for the ruling party.The pivotal factors include, the Pandian show, Naveen’s hibernation, Multi fractions inside the party, Naveen niwas- door-shut for BJD veterans, replacing the incumbent candidates with new faces, 3-men-army on command Naveen-Pandian & Boby, Srimandir Corrider heritage project(Parikrama Prakalpa) Challenge & collection of rice for its inauguration, expulsion of Bhartruhari Mahatab, Dr Pradip Panigrahi, Actors viz Anubhav Mohanty, Akash Das Nayak and Sidhant Mohapatra, Much emphasis on BJP turncoats Lekhashree Samanta Singhar & Bhrugu Bauxipatra, Bureaucrat- hyped governance, poll management by two key IPS Officer DS Kuttey and Asish Singh and their subsequent suspension by ECI, sidelining veteran leaders and Biju loyalists, Naveen's dual contest from Kantabanji & Hinjil, Pandian’s debut in BJD, Leaders indulged in massive corruption and 5T- initiative as a tool to politicize educational institutions and to induct student communities into the BJD.
On the other hand, the state BJP which strategically campaigned more vigorously against the establishment walked on PM Modi's call ‘Purboday-to- Sarvoday’ dynamics.
The state’s top leadership of BJP Dharmendra Pradhan who has a dominant signature in the Center, escalated scathing attacks on the ruling BJD underlining, Hijack of central funds & schemes and replenishing them as state sponsored schemes, against the BJD.
Subsequently, PM Modi’s one-man leadership made a magic and the BJP Odisha chapter stood united everywhere, wining people’s heart.
At a time when over 4.5 crore Odia were almost jumbled over, on who will be the next Odisha CM if the BJD forms government once again with thumping victory- Naveen or VK Pandian or someone else from the legacy of Biju Patnaik, BJP unitedly renounced that BJP' s CM face – is a ‘Modi's perspective’. BJP’s state organization, National leaderships and the grass-root leaders worked out on it saying Modi’s pick will be the Odisha CM, once BJP wins people’s mandates.
While Illusion on Naveen's health came up as a concern for the party and people, the BJP alleged that Naveen is deliberately undermined by Pandian and his aides, to snatch CM’s chair from him. At the same time some seasoned leaders of BJP propagated a narrative that Pandian will reign the state as the Deputy Chief Minister whereas Naveen will remain as a rubber stamp, in case he wins people’s trust for the sixth time and becomes CM.
PM Modi, Amit Shan and JP Nadda during their frequent road-shows and strategic campaigns in Odisha also propagated the anti-incumbency perspective and enticed diverse communities with the national party’s fabulous freebies. Apart from it, they picked socio-religious issues against the establishment. They won trust of farmers by exhorting input subsidies and MSP whereas appeased women community with Subhadra and common mass with Ayushman Bharat Yojana, among many assurances for the social security of the people.
Meanwhile, induction of ace BJD turncoats to the BJP after their resignation or removal was proved boons for the party. Bhartruhari, a 6-time legendary MP from Cuttack, Dr. Pradip Panigrahi MLA Gopalpur, Actor turned-BJD leader Akash Das Nayak with many a turncoats became assets for BJP who later performed better in the election. With the united efforts of the state leadership, the BJP clinched a thumping victory to swearing in Mohan Ch. Majhi as Odisha CM.
The numerology of 2024 though uggered negative result for Naveen Patnaik and his hand-grown BJD, it blessed Odisha with a Double-Engine Mark government that ensures Centre’s robust funds flow and moral support of the PM, for an integral development of the state, that will pave ways out for a ‘Viksit Odisha’ in turn.
