Opinion | Patnaik, Pandian And Missing ‘P’: How BJD’s Winning Streak Ended & Paved Way For BJP’s Odisha Surprise

Former Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik at a roadshow last month. He himself lost in one of the two assembly seats he contested from. ( Image Source :PTI )

The ‘Naveen era’ has ended in Odisha, and how! After leading the state for over 24 years, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) government headed by Naveen Patnaik has been defeated by its ally-turned-arch-rival Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the 2024 assembly elections, held alongside the Lok Sabha polls The BJP has won 78 of the assembly’s 147 seats – four more than the halfway mark – while the BJD and the Congress have got 51 and 14 seats, respectively. On the other hand,