Bhubaneswar: The new Odisha Assembly will have at least 82 first-time MLAs who were elected in the just-concluded elections in the state. Most of them got elected by defeating heavyweight leaders in the poll battle. A glance at the list of the 147 newly-elected MLAs shows that 82 of them are first-timers.
Similarly, seven out of 21 Lok Sabha members elected from the state are first-timers. They all belong to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The saffron party has the highest number of first-time MLAs. At least 52 of the 78 newly-elected BJP MLAs happen to be first-timers with a share of 67 per cent. Many of the first-time MLAs and MPs, who won on BJP tickets, defeated seasoned politicians from the Biju Janata Dal (BJD).
BJP’s Laxman Bag, who won his maiden electoral battle from Kantabanji assembly seat, defeated BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik with a margin of 16,344 votes.
The high number of first-time MLAs and MPs in the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections in Odisha appears to have surprised many political analysts. Observers are of the view that the trend indicates a major shift in the political landscape of the state, with voters opting to give an opportunity to fresh faces over experienced politicians.
BJP’s Durga Prasan Nayak, a first-timer, defeated BJD heavyweight and four-time MLA Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak from Mahakalpada Assembly constituency with a margin of 33,526 votes.
The success of first-time candidates in Odisha is being attributed to several factors, including the Modi wave, anti-incumbency against the BJD government and a desire for change among the voters.
Congress won 14 seats in the assembly election and nine of them are first-timers, which is 64.2%.
All three independent candidates who won the Assembly polls are first-timers, and they defeated BJD heavyweights like Debi Prasad Mishra and Pranab Balabantaray.
However, the number of first-timers is not impressive for BJD. Many experienced candidates of BJD have won around 65% of the seats.
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