Bhubaneswar, Feb. 16: BJP cadres are upbeat about their "unexpected" success in the first two phases of the three-tier panchayat election, while Congress and BJD leaders are engaged in blame games over their below-par performance.
BJD leaders believe the time has come for introspection about the party's organisational network, as indications of something being amiss are evident. Compared to its 2012 performance in the first two phases of the rural polls, it has lost nearly 86 seats this time. Against 290 last time, it has managed only 204 as of now.
In contrast, the BJP, which had bagged 12 seats in the first two phases of the 2012 rural polls, has bagged 121 seats this time - a gain of 109 seats. The Congress, however, is struggling and has not even been able to open its account in 18 of the state's 29 districts so far. The only consolation for the Congress is that it seems set to form a zilla parishad council in Jharsuguda.
BJP has made inroads into almost all the districts from Malkangiri in the south to Kendrapara on the coast, a known BJD bastion.
The BJD was completely routed in Kalahandi district, a major district of west Odisha that was once considered the party's fortress. The BJD had entrusted the election management in the district to two of its senior leaders - housing and urban development minister Pushpendra Singh Deo and Junagarh MLA Dibya Shankar Mishra. It appears they failed to deliver. In north Odisha, particularly in Mayurbhanj district, the party has conceded a lot of ground to the BJP.
Admitting the party's failure, senior BJD leader and industries minister Debi Prasad Mishra said: "We have been winning successive elections either under the wheel symbol (Janata Dal) or the conch symbol (BJD) for the last 27 years. But this time, we have paid the price for the complacency that has gripped the party." Mishra failed to check the BJP juggernaut in his area.
While party vice-president Surjya Narayan Patro said the BJD would review its performance, another vice-president and excise minister Damodar Rout said: "We are suffering from dengue fever. If the right steps are taken, the disease can be cured. Once cured, we will bounce back and show the BJP its place."
Earlier, Rout had said the BJD had paid the price for its "over-dependence on the bureaucracy" and "tendency to ignore senior leaders".
Citing the party's failure in Mayurbhanj district, veteran film star Uttam Mohanty, a new BJD recruit who hails from the district, said: "The party was done in by for petroleum and natural gasrural respect the people's verdict," Patnaik said.
