Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan head to Delhi as BJP gears up to form govt in Odisha

Odisha (Bhubaneshwar) [India], June 5 : Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Tuesday left for Delhi from Bhubaneshwar after the Bhartiya Janata Party attained a resounding victory in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections by winning a staggering 20 out of 21 seats in Odisha.
Dharmendra Pradhan won the Sambalpur Lok Sabha seat by a margin of over 1 lakh votes against BJD's Pranab Prakash Das.
Additionally, the BJP emerged victorious in the Odisha assembly elections for the first time, securing 78 seats out of 147, surpassing the Biju Janata Dal's 51 seats.
Pradhan, who is tipped to be a front-runner for the CM post in the BJP government in Odisha said the victory in the state was a victory of the people.
"This victory is not only the victory of BJP but the victory of 4.5 crore Odiyans. This victory is a great victory for the identity, language, culture and identity of the people of Odisha," Pradhan wrote in a post on X.
Pradhan described Odisha's victory as a testament to the public's trust in "PM Modi's leadership."
"Prime Minister Narendra Modi requested the people of Odisha to give the BJP the opportunity for serving the people, and the public of Odisha trusted in him. This is the faith of 4.5 crore people of Odisha in the leadership of PM Modi", Pradhan said while speaking to ANI.
Odisha, which had been a stronghold for the Biju Janata Dal since 1997, lost to the BJP breaking the 24-year-old reign of Naveen Patnaik as the Chief Minister.
The Bhartiya Janata party secured 78 seats. The BJD secured 51 seats out of 147 assembly seats in Odisha, way behind the majority mark of 74 and the Indian National Congress secured 14 seats.
In a social media post on X, Prime Minister Narendra Modi thanked the citizens of Odisha for delivering a "resounding victory" to the BJP in both the 2024 Lok Sabha and Assembly elections.
"Thank you, Odisha! It's a resounding victory for good governance and celebrating Odisha's unique culture. BJP will leave no stone unturned in fulfilling the dreams of people and taking Odisha to new heights of progress. I am very proud of all our hardworking Party Karyakartas for their efforts," PM wrote in a post on X.
Union Minister Amit Shah also expressed his gratitude towards the people of Odisha after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) registered a historic win in the state.
"This victory under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji will fulfil the resolution of 'Developed India, Developed Odisha'. I assure the people of the state that BJP will work with dedication for the all-round development of the state by promoting Odia language, Odia culture and Odia literature," Shah wrote in a post on X.
The long-standing tenure of 77-year-old Naveen Patnaik concluded as the people of Odisha withdrew their support, signalling the end of his era.
Naveen Patnaik made an unexpected entry into state politics through the BJD, a party named after his father, the former Odisha CM Biju Patnaik.
His political journey began with a victory in the 1998 Lok Sabha bypoll, representing his father's constituency of Aska. Following the BJD's success in the 2000 Assembly elections, forming a coalition with the BJP and gaining a majority, Patnaik resigned from his position in the Union Cabinet to assume the role of chief minister.
Since then he has been the second longest-serving Chief Minister after Sikkim CM Pawan Kumar Chamling.