Naveen: The Colossus Conqueror of Hearts

Bhubaneswar: The winning of the two assembly constituencies in the recently held by-polls in Balasore Sadar and Tirtol in Odisha conveniently by the Biju Janata Dal establishes that the Naveen factor is very much intact and getting stronger day by day. While the Tirtol seat was seen as an easy win for the party because of its clout, Balasore Sadar proved Naveen’s mettle as the invincible.

As always Biju Janata Dal Supremo and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has once again demonstrated that the Bharatiya Janata Party is not a force to challenge. Reclaiming the Balasore Sadar seat from the BJP sends a message that Naveen’s charisma still holds for the people of Odisha. The Tirtol by-polls were special on various counts for both the Biju Janata Dal and the Bharatiya Janata Party. While the Bharatiya Janata Party fielded the son of the diseased leader who had all the sympathies, the Biju Janata Dal fielded a grassroots level disciplined party worker.

An important aspect of the by-polls in Balasore was that Naveen Patnaik did not hit the campaign trail this time. He had an interaction with the voters and party workers through Video Conferencing. Saving lives of the people was the utmost priority for the Chief Minister at this COVID-19 pandemic time. Therefore, he avoided physical visit to the assembly constituencies keeping in mind the public health. Had the Chief Minister visited, people would have come in large numbers risking the public health?

Though he did not go on field to woo the voters, his charisma and the good will gained from the development work done in the area proved to be the key points in winning the seat.

The Bharatiya Janata Party on the other side placed the who’s who of campaigners in Balasore. Three senior leaders of the party including Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Pratap Sarangi held numerous political meetings to woo the voters.

Party’s national spokesperson and Bhubaneswar MP Aprajita Sarangi frequented the constituency for campaigning along with a host of star campaigners. But all this glitter seems to be faded before the charisma of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. The voting share in Balasore constituency shows that in the last three elections the Biju Janata Dal has been gaining a continuous support base.

Similarly, in Tirtol also Naveen magic played out and BJD candidate won with a thumping majority. Tirtol saw all the senior leaders of Bharatiya Janata party on ground but the leadership of Naveen proved magical. Despite Naveen not going to field campaigning, the BJD in Tirtol won with a record majority.

All this shows that the by-polls gave a message that there is no alternative to Naveen Patnaik and in the Naveen Versus all fight only the later has the say. The clean image and good governance will always get recognized and people very well know who their leader is.

His exemplary leadership is unparalleled. He remains close to the people at all times. For him, politics is not fighting and winning elections but an opportunity to serve the people. People believe him and his words. He counts on the blessings of the people and rededicates himself for their cause. As he is in their hearts, his mode of reaching out to them hardly matters. For the people of the State, he is omnipresent with lots of love for them.