Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Monday exuded confidence and reiterated his earlier statements that this time a change has been confirmed in Odisha.
"Change has been confirmed in Odisha. By trusting PM Modi's words, people are going to form the BJP govt in Odisha. This change is going to be for the welfare of people. In the 21st century, Odisha will become a leading state, economic hub," he said.
Earlier today, Mr Pradhan offered prayers at the 'Maa Chausath Yogini' temple in Hirapur.
Notably, the exit polls on Sunday predicted that the state is going to witness a neck-and-neck fight with the two-decade rule of Naveen Patnaik-led Biju Janata Dal facing a stiff challenge from BJP.
The exit polls have predicted a rise in vote share for BJP while the Congress is predicted to remain at a distant third with a voter share of around 4 per cent.
According to Axis My India exit poll, BJD and BJP are expected to win 62-80 seats in the 147-member legislative assembly in Odisha. The Congress is expected to win 5 to 8 seats.
Dharmendra Pradhan appeared confident that the BJP would lead in the Lok Sabha polls and form the government in the state.
"We have full faith that, with the blessings of Mahaprabhu, this time a decisive and strong government will be formed in India under the leadership of PM Modi, which will take many important decisions in the coming days for the welfare of the country and our state. BJP will form the government in Odisha for the first time," said Pradhan.
In the 2019 legislative assembly elections, Naveen Patnaik-led BJD posted a thumping victory winning 112 seats out of 147 in the state. Patnaik was sworn in as chief minister for a fifth consecutive time since 2000. The BJP won 23 and the Congress managed to win nine seats in 2019.
According to the Republic P Marq exit polls, the NDA is likely to win in 14 seats out of 21 and the BJP is expected to win up to eight seats.
The News18 Mega exit polls predicted that the NDA is likely to secure 13-15 seats of the 21 Lok Sabha seats in Odisha. It predicted that the BJD is likely to get eight seats.
2024 Lok Sabha elections were held in seven phases from April 19. The counting of votes will take place on June 4.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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