Bhubaneswar, Nov. 3: Although it’s barely six months to go for the Lok Sabha elections as well as Odisha Assembly polls, the political landscape in the state still remains indistinct and unclear.

Unlike the six months preceding the 2019 elections when daggers were out in Odisha between ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the present phase of time in the state remains strikingly peaceful.

The Congress, the second major opposition party in the state, is also yet to take an aggressive stand to return to reclaim its old stature and influence.

The BJD led by chief minister Naveen Patnaik continues to remain firm in its pole position. The regional party which had got 45 per cent votes in 2019 Odisha Assembly polls, had a more impressive performance in 2022 rural polls as its vote percentage surged to 50 per cent. In between, the party has reworked its strategy and tried to get more connected with the people at the grassroots.

For the BJD president Naveen Patnaik, his erstwhile private secretary and present chairperson of 5T transformation initiative and ‘Nabin Odisha’ mission V Karthikeyan Pandian has almost touched all the constituencies through whirlwind helicopter tours. He conveniently used his official position to directly listen to the grievances of the people and facilitated release of thousands of crore rupees for rural development and urban infrastructure.

What is quite surprising is that the BJP which had in 2019 set a mission to win 120 of the 147 assembly seats has not yet spelt out its plan for 2024. This part, the party has seemingly put its sword into sheath. No longer its going with all guns blazing on corruption issues, adding further credence to the rising speculation about a growing bonhomie between the top leaders of the two parties.

The Congress is equally still groping in darkness sans any guidance by its central leadership. No central leader has ever visited the state in the recent past to lead the party from the front. Chella Kumar, the party’s Odisha observer, has apparently failed to instil the required adrenaline into the organisation. Desperately lacking mass appeal, largely due to inability to speak Hindi , a language which Odia people can understand more than any South Indian language, Chella Kumar has not been able to successfully raise issues. The party is desperately lacking social media presence. Though it has got a pool of talented spokespersons, it has not been able to use their full potential till now.

Under these circumstances, it needs to be seen how the political landscape of the state shapes up in the coming days.

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