So, as the elections are now finally announced, the BJD has bagged as many as 112 Assembly seats in the State with the Naveen Patnaik magic frustrating the oft-repeated plea by Narendra Modi to the people of Odisha to vote for a “double engine”, that is, for a BJP Government in the State and an NDA regime at the Centre.

The voters ultimately rejected the Modi call and settled for a BJD Government in the State under Patnaik’s stewardship for a consecutive fifth term.

It is a vote for Patnaik’s clean image and implementation of a series of people’s welfare programmes by his Government.

In the Lok Sabha polls, the Odisha voters have conceded a kind of consolation tally of eight seats to the BJP, for which the party could increase its number from a mere one in 2014. In the process, the BJD got a majority of 12 seats, eight less than its last-time figure of 20.

Notably, the Congress bagged one Lok Sabha constituency (Koraput-ST) against its nil record in 2014.

The Modi wave did not also reflect much in the outcome of the Assembly polls as the BJP got 23 seats out of a total of 146, for which elections were held.

This is an improvement of 13 seats over the party’s 2014 tally of 10. This has also given the BJP the status of the State’s main Opposition party in the legislature pushing the Congress down to the position of third party with its nine seats against a number of 16 in 2014.

The final Assembly party positions are: BJD 112, BJP 23, Congress 9, CPI(M) (Laxman Munda in Bonai in Sundargarh district) and 1 Independent (Makarand Muduli in Rayagada).