Odisha Assembly Elections 2024 | ‘Oh, you beat me,’ Patnaik tells BJP legislators in state assembly

Bhubaneswar: BJD president and former Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday welcomed newly elected BJP MP Lakshman Bagh, who defeated Patnaik in the recently concluded state assembly elections from Kantabhanj constituency in Bolangir district.

Patnaik, known for his calm demeanor, was walking across the chamber after taking oath as a member of parliament when he came face to face with Bagh, who rose from his seat.

“How are you?” Bag asked, folding his hands.

When Bagh introduced himself, Patnaik replied, “Yes, you have beaten me.” Patnaik, who was accompanied by Ooru MP and former minister Pratap Keshari Deb, congratulated Bagh.

Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and all the legislators, including Deputy Chief Ministers KV Singh Deo and Prabati Parida, also rose from their seats to greet Congress’ Patnaik, who has been its undisputed leader for 24 years.

Patnaik’s defeat was two-fold: Not only did he lose the chief ministerial post he had held since 2000, but he also faced an unexpected defeat in the Kantbanj constituency, which he contested alongside his traditional Hinjili parliamentary seat.

In Hinjili, Patnaik won with a narrow margin of 4,636 votes.

BJP’s Bagh secured 90,876 votes against Patnaik’s 74,532 votes and won the seat by a margin of 16,334 votes.

Mr. Bagh, 48, admitted he initially had doubts about whether he could defeat a political giant like Mr. Patnaik. “The electorate was silent throughout the campaign, but they voted for me,” he recalled, still musing about the magnitude of his victory.

In moving scenes, many newly elected state lawmakers prostrated themselves before entering the Capitol, underscoring the gravity and solemnity of the political change that had just taken place.