The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) registered an impressive victory in the elections for Zilla Parishads and urban local bodies across Odisha, consigning the BJP to a distant second place. The result reaffirmed BJD’s uninterrupted “pro-incumbency”, spanning 23 years. This is rare in the annals of the electoral history of Odisha and India.

While the BJD won a staggering 766 of the 853 Zilla Parishad seats, the BJP won only 41 and the Congress 37 – meaning it would lead parishads in all 30 districts of the state. Out of a total of 108 urban local bodies, the BJD registered a thumping victory in 95 and the BJP and Congress were relegated to distant second and third positions by winning only 6 and 4 respectively. Independent candidates could win only in 3 councils.

The much higher vote share of the BJD over the BJP and the Congress in these elections reveal the former’s preeminent position over its opponents. For instance, for the elections of councillors, the BJD’s vote share is a whopping 50% – in contrast with the BJP and Congress’s vote shares of 27% and 12% respectively. The vote share of independent candidates was just 9%. It is instructive to note that in the direct elections conducted for the post of chairpersons of different urban local bodies and mayors of the three municipal corporations, the BJD registered an overwhelming victory and its vote share is a staggering 48%. The BJP and the Congress could gather only 29% and 12% of the votes.

The BJP’s poor performance in 2022 stands in sharp contrast to its record of winning nearly 300 Zilla Parishad seats in 2017. That the BJP’s electoral debacle in Odisha comes close on the heels of its recent successes in assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Manipur and Goa is also significant.

Such a downfall for the saffron party – which often touts itself as the biggest party in the world – has prompted many commentators and analysts to pose a question: are regional parties in a better position to defeat the BJP than national ones like the Congress?

Odisha chief minister and BJD president Naveen Patnaik in a tweet in Odia said that his party’s huge victory proves that people at the ward and grassroots levels have reaffirmed their trust and faith in the party. Let us take a closer look at the factors behind the party’s victory.

While the BJD’s wins have become a routine aspect of Odisha politics for more than two decades, they should not be understood only in terms of seats won and vote shares secured. It has other deeper dimensions which are as significant to the society and polity of Odisha as they are for the whole of India, which is confronting divisive and polarised narratives since 2014.

The BJD’s victory owed a lot to the support of the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) who, according to political analysts, stood by it. The policy stances taken by Patnaik and concrete measures adopted by him in the recent past for the inclusion of OBCs in several aspects of governance and his support to conduct a caste census have endeared him to the OBCs.

It is instructive to note that among BJD’s victorious candidates for Zilla Parishads and ULBs are several women candidates belonging to minority communities – particularly the Muslim community, which constitutes less than 2% of the Odisha’s population. This stands in sharp contrast to the BJP’s record of not fielding a single Muslim candidate in the past two general elections and in the recently conducted assembly elections in UP, where Muslims account for nearly 20% of the total population.

Representation and empowerment of women

The other distinguishing aspect of the BJD’s victory in Zilla Parishads is that in its long list of winning candidates, more than 60% are women. Women have emerged as presidents of 70% of the Zilla Parishads – more than the 50% reserved for women.

In elections to choose the mayors for Bhubaneswar, Cuttack and Berhampur cities too, two women from the BJD emerged victorious – Sulochana Das in Bhubaneswar and Sanghamitra Dalai in Berhampur.

These events are a clear sign of the BJD’s commitment to give more opportunities to women in the electoral fray and ensuring their greater representation in local body elections.

Such large scale representation of women at the grassroots have made these local bodies nurseries for women leaders, not only allowing them to address governance problems from their unique perspective but also helping them take the plunge into the rough and tumble of politics and public life.

Note that in the 2019 general elections, the BJD had fielded seven women candidates – 33% of the state’s 21 Lok Sabha seats. That historic and trendsetting decision – not just for Odisha butthe whole country – was fruitful and five women won.

Representation and empowerment of women flow from Naveen Patnaik’s initiative since 2003 to mobilise women through self-help groups (SHGs) and involve them in many activities of the government. So far, eight million women are part of SHGs. Their support to the BJD is critical in winning elections – whether they are for the Lok Sabha, assembly, Zilla Parishads or urban local bodies. Patnaik is aware of the role women play in his party’s successes, as he acknowledged on the occasion of the BJD’s foundation day in 2020 that women of Odisha constitute the party’s mainstay.

One is mindful of the fact that the BJD has supported several legislations initiated by the Narendra Modi government in parliament. However, that should not diminish the larger meaning of the BJD’s massive victory over the BJP and Congress in these elections.

This victory assumes national significance because while the BJP is registering victories in several states, it is defeated by a regional party in Odisha. A party that has the committed support of women and is inclusive of different sections of the electorate while eschewing polarising narratives can counter the BJP’s politics of exclusion. This is the larger meaning of the BJD’s victory over the BJP in the recently held elections for the Zilla Parishad and urban local bodies in Odisha.

(S.N. Sahu served as OSD and press secretary to K.R. Narayanan, former president of India. Courtesy: The Wire.)