The Bijepur Message

The Bijepur Message

Pollsters had predicted a photo finish to the Bijepur race. As it turned out, it was a massive mandate in favour of the BJD.

In fact, the victory only reinforces the widely-held view that Naveen Patnaik is riding an unstoppable juggernaut called BJD.

A view borne out by the fact that the much-vaunted saffron army that descended on Bijepur led by a battery of central leaders and a couple of wannabe chief ministers could do little to dent Naveen Patnaik’s image as mass leader.

A fact also buttressed by the near decimation of the once mighty Congress.

While some pollsters attribute the Bijepur win to smart election management and a sympathy factor for Rita Sahu, there is no taking away from the fact it is also a referendum in favour of the Naveen charisma.

Calm and unruffled, the BJD president waded into the campaign as the political mercury had risen to a volatile high. Ignoring provocations including some extreme ones, Naveen kept the discourse decent never ever indulging in vitriol. That’s how he always has been. And the people of Bijepur clearly loved the vintage Naveen Patnaik.

For the BJP, the Bijepur verdict should only come as a reminder call. Parading a galaxy of leaders and workers and launching a blitzkrieg of a campaign will not be enough to match Naveen’s magical sway over the state. That he had proved it when his party weathered the massive Modi storm in 2014 and has done it again should force a rethink in the saffron ranks. Piping down on the rhetoric and taking up Odisha’s causes like the Mahanadi issue or a special status for the state might help.