BJD dismisses Shah's claim, asserts confidence in securing 17 Lok Sabha seats in Odisha

The ruling BJD claims it will win 17 Lok Sabha seats and three-fourths of Assembly seats in the upcoming elections, refuting BJP's projection of 16 Lok Sabha gains. The BJD cites its consistent electoral success, including in panchayats, urban bodies, and by-elections. The party attributes its confidence to the support of Odisha's people under Naveen Patnaik's leadership. In contrast, the BJP, despite Union Home Minister Amit Shah's prediction, has allegedly suffered a loss of morale due to repeated electoral setbacks.

The ruling BJD of Odisha on Thursday claimed that the party would win in 17 of the 21 Lok Sabha constituencies and also bag three-fourths of the 147 seats in the Assembly in the ensuing twin polls in the state.

The BJD's assertion came following Union Home Minister Amit Shah's claim in an interview that the saffron party would secure 16 seats in the Lok Sabha polls from Odisha and also form government in the state.

BJD spokesperson and Rajya Sabha member Sasmit Patra said the BJP has been ''consistently losing'' in the elections to panchayats, Zilla Parishads, urban local bodies and by-elections, leaving the saffron party cadres ''demotivated". "In order to motivate them (cadre), the Central leaders of the party are issuing vague statements and unfounded allegations against BJD," Patra said.

Stating that the people of Odisha have repeatedly reposed their faith in the BJD time and again, Patra said they would bless the Naveen Patnaik-led party once again while exercising their franchise in the coming elections too. "The BJD will not only win 17 of 21 Lok Saha seats in Odisha but also improve its tally in the Assembly elections. We will occupay three-fourth seats in the assembly with blessings of the people," Patra said. Earlier, in an interview, Shah had said that BJP would get 16 seats in Odisha. "I am confident that this time, the people of Odisha will bless the Bharatiya Janata Party under the leadership of Modi ji," Shah said. In the 2019 elections, the BJD secured 12 Lok Sabha seats while the BJP bagged eight and Congress one in the state.

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