Orissa Provides Third Straight Passage to Patnaik

All Smiles: With poll results reflecting landslide Lok Sabha and Assembly victories in his favour, a beaming Navin Patnaik on Saturday expressed satisfaction over his third successive win and dedicated it to the Oriya people.

“I am delighted and humble enough after the results are out,” said Patnaik while ruling out support to a UPA or NDA government at the center.

The BJD until recently was a part of the BJP-led NDA, which it quit over unresolved differences that first cropped up during the communal frenzy witnessed by the state.

Patnaik, the second son of legendary Biju Patnaik, is riding a electoral wave with victories and leads in 89 Assembly segments and 11 parliamentary segments.

So huge is the mandate in Patnaik’s favour that the BJD tally was more than twice that of the BJP and Congress put together in both the Assembly and LS polls.