ThePrint PoliticallyCorrect: How and why ex-Odisha CM Patnaik is emerging in a new avatar, doing what he seldom did in 24 years
Mar 24, 2026
A deep look at BJP strategies to weaken a long-ruling regional party and how past alliances shaped today’s battle. Discussion of cross-voting incidents and council results that shifted power dynamics. Examination of leadership gaps, succession risks, and the optics of installing outsider leaders. Focus on why a low-profile governance style sustained 24 years and how that may be changing.
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BJP Uses Cross Voting To Weaken BJD
- The BJP actively replicated Maharashtra tactics in Odisha by backing a BJP-supported independent, Dilip Ray, to exploit cross-voting and weaken BJD unity.
- In the March Rasabha poll Dilip Ray won after eight BJD and three Congress MLAs cross-voted, showing targeted defections can flip outcomes.
How BJP Helped Found The BJD
- The BJP helped create the BJD in 1997 by installing Naveen Patnaik as its leader to claim Biju Patnaik's legacy and make space for BJP growth.
- Pramod Mahajan recruited Biju confidants and positioned the politically inexperienced Naveen as a pliant face for the new party.
Delhi Can Run Odisha Without A Strong CM
- BJP strategy now aims to turn Odisha into a Gujarat-style stronghold by installing a compliant chief minister and running governance from Delhi.
- Key Delhi insiders with Odisha links like P.K. Mishra and Ashwini Vaishnaw enable centralised control over state administration.