The ruling BJD confidently declared on Sunday its anticipation of securing a resounding victory in Odisha's upcoming elections, asserting its ambition to clinch a two-thirds majority in the state assembly by triumphing in at least 110 of the 147 constituencies.
The party anticipates securing a substantial portion of the Lok Sabha seats, aiming for a minimum of 12 out of the 21 available in the eastern state.
Dismissing the validity of exit polls, which purported a significant win for the BJP with 15 Lok Sabha seats in Odisha, the BJD cited past inaccuracies in such predictions during the 2014 and 2019 elections.
Sasmit Patra, a spokesperson for the BJD, affirmed their confidence, citing internal surveys and ground-level feedback as indicators of their anticipated success.
Senior BJD leader V K Pandian said in a post on X, "Everybody has seen how inaccurate exit polls made by some national-level organisations in air-conditioned rooms are. The exit polls of 2024 will just be a repeat of the previous exit polls."
BJD MLA Padmanabh Behera said, "Exit polls are not exact results. We will perform very well and form the government in the state. Naveen Patnaik will take the oath as chief minister on June 9."
BJD MP Manas Mangaraj said in an X post, "No matter what the exit polls are, I am confident that the public has approved our honesty, hard work, and dedication."
Senior Congress leader and MLA Taraprasad Bahinipati said that the party will improve its performance and is likely to win four to five Lok Sabha seats in the state.
Opposition voices offered contrasting perspectives, with senior Congress leader Taraprasad Bahinipati expressing hopes of an improved performance for the Congress in the Lok Sabha elections.
Conversely, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan of the BJP backed exit polls, asserting confidence in the BJP's projected success.
Amidst these claims and counterclaims, BJP state president Manmohan Samal said, "The people of Odisha want a change, and there will be a change in the government."
In 2019, exit polls had predicted 12–15 Lok Sabha seats for the BJP and 6–8 for the BJD, whereas the saffron party had won eight seats and the ruling party in the state had bagged 12.
In 2014, while exit polls had predicted 13 seats for the BJD and five for the BJP, the saffron party had bagged only one while the ruling party in the state had won 30 seats.
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