(ET)
The BJP has a lot riding on the electoral outcome in Odisha. With only one seat in its tally in 2014, there’s scope for more. And at the fag end of the 4-phase election, Dharmendra Pradhan said he believed not only will BJP get the ‘extra count’, but will also form the government in the state. “There’s a Modi Tsunami in Odisha. And he has appealed to people for five years, so he can do five times more than other parties.I am certain the people will support him for both Parliament and state.We will form government in Odisha,” he told ET, explaining that this automatically means BJP is the first choice for Parliament.
For a party that languished at third spot in 2014 with barely 20% vote share, despite a Modi wave, why does he expect such a massive turnaround in 2019? “Last time we did not have the organisation to convert this support into numbers. But in the past five years we have strengthened our organisation and this is now showing.After the Panchayat elections, the gap between us and BJD was down to 7-8%. Not only have we covered that in this election, but have gone beyond.”
