Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is set to return to power in Odisha for the fifth time as early trends suggest that his Biju Janata Dal (BJD) is leading in 102 out of 146 seats.
The state has 147 seats in Legislative Assembly, out of which 117 were won by BJD in 2014 Legislative Assembly election. The state Legislative Assembly results trend showing that Naveen Patnaik is likely to sworn-in as the Chief Minister for the fifth time.The general polls results showed that the BJD was also leading against the BJP in most of Lok Sabha seats in Odisha, early trends showed. Congress on the other hands seems to be losing its grip in the state.Patnaik is seeking his fifth term — which would make him one of India’s longest-serving chief ministers. He has been the chief minister of Odisha since 2002.BJP President Amit Shah had said that Naveen could not speak Odia without reading from a paper even after holding the position for 19 years.Naveen delivers Odia speeches reading from scripts written in Roman alphabets.However, he has mastered English and French, among others.Often known as ‘Mr Clean’, Patnaik-led BJD was able to retain power in the 2004, 2009 and 2014 assembly elections.A caste-wise break-up of the exit poll numbers show Naveen Patnaik’s BJD doing well among SC, ST, OBC and Muslim voters while BJP does well among the general caste.Along with the Lok Sabha elections, four states — Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh — voted simultaneously to elect their Assemblies.
