Opinion | BJD Vs BJP, Women Vs Men? Naveen Patnaik’s Trump Card & How Odisha Polls Became A Battle Of The Sexes

BJD supporters at a rally addressed by Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, in Bhubaneswar on May 20.

“Pandya is coming,” said a middle-aged woman, giggling. She was among hundreds of village women in colourful sarees who moved slowly, almost coyly, in groups along the road, engaging in animated conversation among themselves. The women were heading towards an open ground at a village under the Pipli assembly segment of the Puri Lok Sabha constituency in coastal Odisha. Women headed for the V.K. Pandian campaign event. (Image source: Priya Ranjan Sahu) At the ground, Biju