Assembly elections were also held in Odisha along with the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. But its results proved to be disastrous for the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), which has dominated politics here for nearly two and a half decades. The BJD not only lost power in the state, but Odisha’s outgoing Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, who seemed invincible in electoral politics, also lost his seat. Naveen Patnaik was the Chief Minister of Odisha for the last 24 years. He holds the record of being the longest-serving Chief Minister of this coastal state. Naveen Patnaik had never lost an election since he was elected as a member of the 11th Lok Sabha in a by-election from the Aska parliamentary constituency in 1998.
Shocking result came from Kantabanji
The results of the Odisha Assembly elections were being watched with bated breath, especially in the electoral field of Kantabanji in Odisha. The counting of votes went on for more than 28 rounds and a shocking result was received from there late in the evening of June 4. Naveen Patnaik, who seemed invincible and had never faced defeat in his illustrious political career, faced his first defeat. He was defeated by Laxman Bagh of the Bharatiya Janata Party. Laxman Bagh was working as a daily wage laborer till 15 years ago.
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Bagh’s victory is not just a game of luck
Laxman Bagh got 90,878 votes while Patnaik got 74,532 votes in Kantabanji assembly constituency. That means Laxman Bagh’s victory margin was 16,344 votes. Given Patnaik’s influence, this defeat and its margin are unimaginable. According to a report in ‘The Hindu’, Laxman Bagh’s victory is not a mere coincidence or a game of luck. Laxman Bagh constantly helped the needy people in the Kantabanji constituency and his good deeds played an important role in his spectacular victory. Laxman Bagh was born in a poor farmer family, which was struggling to make ends meet.
From truck helper to labor
He was a family of six siblings. To run the household, he worked on his family’s farm. He worked as a helper for a truck driver for a meager salary. To earn money, Laxman Bagh even became a daily wage labourer. Although there were rumours about him that he worked for agents sending labour to other states. But this could never be proved. Later he bought a truck and was successful in improving his financial condition. In the income tax return filed last year, he has shown his income as Rs 4.89 lakh.
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showed political maturity
Laxman Bagh made his political debut in the 2014 assembly elections. He then finished third. In the 2019 assembly elections, he lost by just 128 votes. Much before Patnaik announced his candidature, the BJP candidate had already done the groundwork and visited almost every village, which benefited him. The victory of 48-year-old Bagh was more than just an electoral upset. Bagh sparked a strong debate on the ineffectiveness of the employment generation programs implemented by the Biju Janata Dal government. The CM’s nomination from Kantabanji further fueled the labour migration issue. Though Patnaik held two public meetings during his campaign, he failed to convince voters about his plans to alleviate the suffering of migrant workers.
This area is known as labor market
Kantabanji is known as a labour market where brick kiln operators hire labourers at relatively low wages. The Kantabanji assembly constituency, which comprises Turikela, Muribahal and Bangomunda blocks of Balangir district, is home to thousands of such families who migrate to southern states every year to work in harsh conditions. The region has earlier made headlines for unfortunate reasons such as starvation deaths and child trafficking. Politics in Kantabanji has been centred around labour issues. In the past too, leaders with connections to influential middlemen have won here.
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Power slipped from the hands of BJD
This time BJP has won majority in Odisha assembly. BJP has won 78 seats in the 146 member assembly, which has given it a chance to form government in Odisha for the first time. It needed 74 seats for majority. BJD came second with 51 seats. BJD was in power here since March 2000. Congress won 14 seats while four seats went to others.
Tags: Naveen Patnaik, Odisha Assembly Election, Odisha assembly election 2024, Odisha politics
FIRST PUBLISHED : June 7, 2024, 08:20 IST