Some political observers have begun wondering whether Odisha will once again witness the phenomenon of split voting in 2024 as it had back in 2019. While the Biju Janata Dal had practically swept the state assembly elections that year, the Bharatiya Janata Party had seen a notable rise in its Lok Sabha tally. These results had clearly indicated one thing: the people of Odisha wanted to see Naveen Patnaik continue as their Chief Minister and Narendra Modi carry on as their Prime Minister.
It might be early days yet, but such speculation is not without reason. The two have performed extraordinarily well in their respective positions as public leaders and taken their parties to new heights over the past three years despite having the best part of their latest terms being hit by a pandemic of historically unprecedented proportions.
Although PM Modi and CM Patnaik have markedly distinct personalities and political modus operandi, the similarities in their model of governance are more than what meets the untrained eye. However, for those who can see it, the overarching commonality is the way both have a proactive and constantly evolving approach to tackling circumstantial challenges.
Take, for instance, the Modi government’s response to the Russia-Ukraine war. Despite immense pressure and even criticism from the West, New Delhi did not jump on the anti-Russia bandwagon on international forums. India could not even be budged from its position of neutrality and has consistently taken an independent and issue-based stand on the crisis since it started three months ago. While it has maintained its strong defence and trade ties with Russia, it has provided substantial humanitarian assistance to Ukraine. While it has categorically condemned acts of violence in Ukraine, it has stood firm and tall – at the forefront of the global stage – as a crusader of peace urging both sides to engage in talks and end the war.
The latest example is the ban on wheat export. Although India had declared its target of exporting record shipments of wheat only a few weeks ago (and had already been on track to doing so) in its widely hailed response to the global food insecurity challenges caused by the Russia-Ukraine crisis, the Centre imposed the restriction after a nasty heatwave ruined harvests and sent domestic food prices and inflation soaring. Despite opposition and criticism, particularly from G7 nations, the Modi government did not hesitate to place national interest over global applause – just as it had done with the Covid vaccine export ban last year, not to mention the ongoing war.
Similarly, the Naveen Patnaik-led BJD government has continued with its policy of maintaining equidistance from the BJP and Congress while supporting or opposing the Modi government on an issue-by-issue basis. However, the five-time CM has been flawlessly consistent about protecting the interests of his state, and even the nation at large. This is evident in the way his government has been constantly finding better ways to fast-track the growth of Odisha by weeding out everything that comes in the way, whether it be corruption, Maoist terrorism, or inefficient administration.
No wonder the people of Odisha are not looking for a different CM or PM.
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