June 4th 2024.
The latest updates from the Election Commission of India have revealed that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has taken an early lead in at least 50 Assembly seats in Odisha. Meanwhile, candidates from the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) are leading in 35 constituencies out of the 94 for which initial trends have been made available till 10:30 am.
According to Odisha's Chief Electoral Officer, Nikunja Bihari Dhal, the Congress party is currently ahead in seven seats, while the Communist Party of India (CPI) is leading in one. An Independent candidate is also in the lead in one constituency. Interestingly, some of the state's ministers seem to be trailing in their respective seats, while Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is in the lead in Kantabanji, with a narrow margin of only 158 votes over his closest opponent from the BJP, Laxman Bag.
It seems like the tide may be turning in some of the constituencies, as popular ministers such as Finance Minister Bikram Arukha, Forest and Environment Minister PK Amat, Science and Technology Minister Ashok Panda, Water Resources Minister Tukuni Sahu, Steel and Mines Minister Prafulla Mallick, and Planning and Coordination Minister Rajendra Dholakia are currently trailing in their seats.
As the counting of votes continues in 70 centers across the state, it is expected that around 18-19 rounds of counting will take place for each seat. In the meantime, some prominent leaders from the BJD seem to be in the lead, including Assembly Speaker Pramila Mallik in Binjharpur, Minister Jagannath Saraka in Bissam Cuttack, and Mahesh Sahoo in Hindol.
In a surprising turn of events, Laxman Munda from the CPI is currently leading in the Bonai Assembly constituency, while Independent candidate Soumya Ranjan Patnaik is ahead of BJD's Badri Narayan Patra in the Ghasipura MLA seat. The final results are yet to be announced, but it is clear that the race for the Assembly seats in Odisha is heating up. Stay tuned for more updates from PTI.
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