The Aryavarth Express
Agency (Bhubaneswar): BJD president Naveen Patnaik sought to uplift the spirits of his party’s defeated leaders on Thursday, 6 June, assuring them of his unwavering leadership. Despite losing power in Odisha after 24 years and failing to secure any Lok Sabha seats, Patnaik remains committed to guiding his party.
Patnaik convened a meeting at his residence, Naveen Niwas, with party leaders who lost in both the simultaneous Lok Sabha and assembly elections. Among those defeated were 62 party MLAs and 12 MPs. “We requested him to lead the party from the front, and he assured us that he would guide us. He is the BJD’s ultimate leader,” said Pranab Prakash Das, the party’s organizational secretary.
Das, who himself lost the Sambalpur Lok Sabha seat to Union minister and BJP leader Dharmendra Pradhan by over 1 lakh votes, emphasized Patnaik’s message that there was nothing to regret. Patnaik highlighted the transformative work accomplished during the BJD’s 24-year rule and reassured that the party would continue serving the people from the opposition.
To address the party’s electoral defeat, Das mentioned that a committee has been formed to investigate the causes. Notably absent from the meeting was Patnaik’s close aide, V K Pandian. When asked about Pandian’s absence, Das stated, “Everything in BJD happens as per the direction of the president. It is his prerogative to decide who will remain in the meeting.”
Party spokesperson Sasmit Patra clarified that Pandian was on a tour to Delhi under Patnaik’s direction. He dismissed media reports about Pandian’s absence from Odisha as “unfounded and misleading.”
In the recent elections, the BJP gained power in Odisha, securing 78 of the 147 assembly seats. The BJD won 51 seats, the Congress secured 14, and the CPI (M) won one seat. Additionally, three Independent candidates emerged victorious.