A political tussle is likely between the BJD and the BJP in Odisha ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha and state assembly election as Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik employs 'Jai Jagannath' slogan to counter the saffron party's 'Jai Sri Ram'. Assembly polls in Odisha are likely to be held in 2024 along with the Lok Sabha elections.


Under the condition of anonymity, a senior BJD leader told news agency PTI that Patnaik, who has been in power for more than 23 years, is aware of every danger that the opponents could present.


"What the BJP wants to do through Ram Mandir and 'pran pratishtha' ceremony, Naveen Babu is not oblivious to this," he said. When asked about BJD's plan to counter the strong Hindutva pitch of the BJP, he said "You (BJP) say 'Jai Shri Ram' and we have Lord Jagannath, 'Jai Jagannath'", PTI reported.


Just before the consecration ceremony of the Ram temple in Ayodhya on January 22, Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik inaugurated the newly built corridor of the Jagannath temple in Puri on Wednesday, accompanied by chants of Vedic hymns. For the following month, the Odisha government is expected to welcome 10,000 or so visitors per day from different areas of the state to see the project.


According to the beliefs of Hinduism, Puri is one of the four holy shrines in the country. Lord Jagannath or Shri Krishna sits here along with elder brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra. The Jagannath Temple Corridor has been developed on the lines of Kashi Vishwanath temple of Varanasi and Mahakal temple of Ujjain. The inaugural ceremony was attended by top representatives from several prominent temples of the country.


As per PTI, officials said about 10,000 temples and various places of worship in the state are also ready to be renovated and funds for this purpose have been allocated.


It's interesting to note that the BJP has taken the same stance on the Jagannath Temple Parikrama Project as the opposition parties did during the Ayodhya Ram temple consecration event. Manmohan Samal, the state president of the BJP, claimed that the state administration was launching the parikrama project as though it were a BJD function. For this reason, the BJP refrained from attending the event.


At the national level, the opposition parties, particularly the Congress, have levelled the same allegation against the BJP regarding the Ram Temple Inauguration, saying the ruling party has turned the ceremony at Ayodhya into a political one.


BJD Vs BJP In Odisha


Munna Panda, the priest of the Jagannath temple, told PTI that Lord Ram is in the hearts of everyone but Lord Jagannath has a special place in the hearts of the people of Odisha. The only difference is that the corridor to the Jagannath temple has been built in Puri while the Ram temple is being built in Ayodhya after a long battle, he said.


Professor Sanjay Kumar, co-director of 'Lokniti', a research programme at the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, said the growing influence of religion in politics cannot be denied. He said the BJP was trying to create a countrywide narrative over the construction of Ram temple and the opposition parties were making efforts to counter it at their level. "The BJD is countering religion with religion, while the Congress and other opposition parties are trying to do so through the issue of caste census against the BJP at the national level. In my opinion, Patnaik seems to be in a better position (to counter the BJP) than the other parties," he said.


However, Congress' in-charge of Odisha affairs Ajoy Kumar disagreed, and said "For us, both Lord Ram and Lord Jagannath are matters of faith. There is no greater 'adharma' (sin) than making God a subject for electoral gains."


CM Naveen Patnaik's Reign In Odisha


Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik has been in power in the state since 2000 when he first assumed the top post. The credit for his successive victories is attributed to his government's welfare schemes.


The 77-year-old Patnaik, popularly known as "Naveen Babu," will run for office again in the upcoming polls and hopes to be re-elected for a sixth term. The state's biggest opposition party, the BJP, presents him with the greatest obstacle. Out of 146 seats in the most recent assembly elections, the BJD secured 112 seats, the BJP secured 23, while the Congress managed to secure just nine seats. The BJD secured 12 out of 21 seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, while the BJP secured 8 seats and the Congress managed to secure just one seat.


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