Bhubaneswar: The 2024 Assembly elections in Odisha saw presidents of three major political parties losing the electoral battle.
Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee President Sarat Pattnaik, BJP state unit President Manmohan Samal and Biju Janata Dal President Naveen Patnaik were defeated in the assembly seat contested by them in the hustings.
Although the BJP under the leadership of Manmon Samal, dislodged the BJD government of 24 years by crossing the magic number to create history, Samal, himself, lost the Chandbali Assembly seat.
Samal, who was elected to the state Assembly from Dhamnagar seat in 2004 election, decided this time to contest from Chandbali Assembly seat but faced defeat by a slender margin of 1,916 votes from sitting BJD MLA Byomkesh Ray.
On the other hand, PCC President Sarat Pattnayak who contested the Nuapada Assembly seat, was defeated by Odisha Planning and Convergence Minister Rajendra Dholkia (BJD) by a margin of 10,881 votes.
Ironically, BJD President and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik who this time contested Hinjili, his traditional assembly seat which he had won six times in a row, and Kantabanji Assembly seat, was defeated in the latter by a margin of 16,334 votes by BJP candidate Laxman Bag.
Patnaik polled 74,532 votes while Bag garnered 90,876 votes in a multi-cornered contest in which the sitting Congress MLA Santosh Singh Saluja relegated to third position with 26,839 votes.
Besides, the presidents of three political parties, two former presidents of Odisha Congress who fought the election, were also defeated.
Former Congress President Niranjan Patnaik who has been elected to Odisha Assembly four times from Ramchandrapur constituency, and held several cabinet portfolios during two decades, lost the election from Bhandaripokhari Assembly seat by a slender margin of 1,551 votes against Sanjeeb Kumar Mallick of BJD.
Patnaik polled 70,896 votes while Mallik got 72,447 votes.
Another former Congress President Jayadeb Jena was also defeated from Anandpur Assembly seat by a margin of 10,966 votes by Abhimyu Sethy of BJD. Jena had won the Anandpur Assembly seat twice in the past in 1995 and 2004 Assembly elections.
