Swayed BY Modi Tsunami, Many BJD Heavyweights Lose Polls In Odisha

Bhubaneswar, Jun 5: Swayed by the Modi Tsunami, many Biju Janata Dal (BJD) heavyweight leaders faced a debacle in both Parliamentary and Assembly elections, the results of which were published yesterday.

Those who lost in Assembly polls include Minister Ashok Chandra Panda from Bhubaneswar-Ekamra, Minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak from Mahakalpada, Minister Tukuni Sahu from Titilagarh, Minister Rita Sahu from Bijepur, Minister Bikram Keshari Arukha from Bhanjanagar, Minister Pradeep Amat from Boudh, Minister Pritiranjan Gharai from Sukinda, former Minister Prafulla Mallick from Kamakshyanagar, Basanti Hembram from Karanjia and Jagannath Saraka from Bissamkataka.

Those who lost in Lok Sabha polls include Pranab Prakash Das from the Sambalpur constituency and Sudam Marandi from the Mayurbhanj seat.

Pranab Prakash Das' mother Sandhyarani Das also lost the polls from the Korei Assembly seat.

The BJP is set to form the new government in Odisha. It has 78 seats against the required 75 in the 147-member Odisha Legislative Assembly. The BJD, which remained in power continuously for 24 years, had to be contended with 51 seats, while the Congress got 14 seats, CPM 1 and Independents 3.