BJD's Downfall: The Role of VK Pandian in the Dramatic Election Defeat in Odisha
Apart from the significant anti-incumbency factor, various other elements led to the BJD's downfall, reducing its Lok Sabha seats from 12 to a mere one and possibly resulting in the loss of over 60 Assembly seats.
With the BJD now out of power, party insiders are beginning to blame the defeat on VK Pandian, the chief election strategist and star campaigner. The bureaucrat-turned-politician, a close associate of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, was the only leader, aside from the CM, who campaigned in all the Assembly and Lok Sabha constituencies.
Despite having 40 star campaigners, only the Chief Minister and VK Pandian campaigned for BJD candidates statewide. Additionally, the CM's inaccessibility, even to senior party leaders, fostered the perception that Pandian wielded significant influence over Naveen, affecting both governance and party organization decisions.
Sources indicated that the CM's campaign, with Pandian constantly by his side, generated public antipathy and became monotonous, failing to attract voters. Although efforts were made to counter this perception in the final phase of the election, it was too late.
The BJP capitalized on this, launching an aggressive campaign targeting Pandian as an outsider. They deployed numerous national leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who promised to restore ‘Odia Asmita’ (Odia pride) if the party came to power in the state.
Pandian became the BJP's primary campaign issue, especially in the last two phases, with their leaders alleging that the CM was held captive due to his deteriorating health. Some disgruntled BJD members noted that public antipathy was so intense that even the promise of free power failed to yield any benefits.
Party sources revealed that the BJD's development agenda failed to resonate against the BJP's aggressive campaign. The BJD's efforts lacked the necessary vigor to effectively counter the relentless attacks from BJP leaders, particularly Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
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