"We're sweeping elections with 85 pc votes": BJD leader VK Pandian

Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], May 27 (ANI): 5T Chairman and BJD leader VK Pandian expressed his confidence in the Biju Janata Dal and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, securing a majority with 85 per cent of the votes, leading to a stable government in the state.
He highlighted that the Chief Minister's plan in the manifesto for the middle class and the Youth Budget were significant factors in the elections, resulting in higher voter turnout in the state.
In a press conference, 5T Chairman and BJD leader VK Pandian said, "We would humbly say that, with the closure of three phases of polls in Odisha, the BJD is getting a majority with these three phases alone. Our Chief Minister has also affirmed this."
He added, "With the blessings of the Lord Jagannath and the people of Odisha, the BJD will form a stable government in the state."
Emphasizing the promises made in the manifesto for the middle class and youths, Pandian remarked, "The record increase in voting percentage especially in Bhubaneswar shows that the Chief Minister's plans for the middle class, his call for them to vote, and the Youth Budget for the youths of Odisha, have resonated with them. Potentially, this is the reason for higher voter turnout in the state.
Exuding confidence, Pandian said that BJD is sweeping the elections and that too with a strike rate of 85 per cent. He also asked media personnel to cross-check his claim after the result declaration.
The assembly and Lok Sabha polls in the BJD-ruled state are being held across four phases--from May 13 to June 1.
The counting of votes for all phases in the state and elsewhere in the country will be held on June 4.
In the last assembly elections in 2019, the BJD took home the bulk of the electoral spoils in the state, winning 112 out of the 146 seats. The BJP won 23 seats while Congress had to be content with just 9.
In the Lok Sabha elections that same year, the BJD mopped up the lion's share of the spoils, with the BJP and the Congress bringing up the rear. The BJD won 12 seats, the BJP finished a close second at 8, and the Congress bagged just a lone seat. (ANI)