Across Odisha — which voted in its final and fourth phase of the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections Monday — there is a growing clamour for Narendra Modi as the prime minister and Naveen Patnaik as the chief minister, especially in urban and semi-urban areas.
But, despite the growing buzz around the BJP that has emerged as the principal opposition party to the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), there are some reasons why even die-hard BJP supporters are wary of predicting the number of seats the party might win in Odisha.
The buzz around Modi might have gained momentum in the state, but the hype has failed to match the party’s organisational infrastructure on the ground.
BJP leaders in Odisha told ThePrint that not only does the party lack “well-heeled election machinery” like the BJD’s, but it also lacks a strong leadership in the state to convert the support for Modi into votes.