Centre drubbing sours victory

The BJP was in no mood to savour its fruit of victory here, the overall performance in the Lok Sabha elections dampening its spirits.There w...

The BJP was in no mood to savour its fruit of victory here, the overall performance in the Lok Sabha elections dampening its spirits.

There was no bursting of crackers or any sign of celebration at the party office today, while state revenue minister B.B. Harichandran paid only a fleeting visit for a television interview. The crowd had thinned by evening.

‘‘The victory of the BJP-BJD alliance in the state is because of the Centre’s performance . There is no meaning of celebration when the party lost at the Centre,’’ a senior party functionary said.

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His views were echoed by party general secretary (organisation) Prasanna Mishra. He said the party supporters are disillusioned over the BJP-led NDA’s defeat in the Lok Sabha polls though they were happy with the BJP-BJD combine’s return to power.

Several prominent leaders of the BJP, including two Cabinet rank ministers and the Deputy Speaker of Assembly have lost in the hustings. Among them are former Union minister Debendra Pradhan, Rural Development Minister Bedprakash Agarwal, Cooperation Minister Arabinda Dhali and Deputy Speaker in the dissolved Assembly, Ramachandra Panda.

Mishra said the BJP-BJD alliance could have done better if there was no seat-swapping. Though the party won all nine seats in its share, the combine lost Berhampur to the Congress and Mayurbhanj to the JMM. This, despite the fact that BJP had a strong presence in Mayurbhanj.

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