Naveen wave: BJD heads for a landslide victory (Roundup)

Bhubaneswar, May 16 (IANS) Odisha's ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) Friday appeared set for a landslide win in both the assembly and Lok Sabha polls, riding a wave in favour of its party chief and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.

The party candidates have already won 38 of the state's 147 assembly seats and are leading in 81 others while it was ahead in 19 of state's 21 Lok Sabha seats, officials said.

Naveen Patnaik, set for a fourth straight term as the chief minister, won the election from Hinjili assembly seat in Gajjam district by defeating his rival Sibaram Patra of the Congress by 76,586 votes, they said.

Among the prominent BJD Lok Sabha candidates who are leading are incumbents Sidhant Mohapatra, Prasanna Kumar Patsani, Bhartruhari Mahatab, Baijayant Panda, and Pinaki Mishra.

Congress candidate and former chief minister Giridhar Gomang and union minister in the outgoing government Srikanta Jena were trailing in Koraput and Balasore Lok Sabha constituencies respectively.

State Congress president Jayadev Jena has lost the Anandpur assembly seat while Bharatiya Janata Party state president K.V. Singh Deo is leading in Patnagarh assembly seat.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik termed the spectacular performance of BJD as a victory of the people in the state.

Speaking to reporters after trends showed BJD's spectacular success, Patnaik said "this is the victory of people of Odisha. We must humbly accept that".

"We will make all out efforts to continue our good work for our state," he said.

"Development programmes, welfare schemes, anti-poverty programme, works for tribal people who constitute a quarter of our population and the transparent and clean government given to Odisha have all contributed to the BJD doing so well," he said.

The opposition Congress and BJP on the other hand conceded their defeat in the state.

"We accept the mandate of the people in all humility," said state Congress President Jayadeb Jena who himself has lost the election.

"We have accepted the verdict of the people" BJP spokesperson Sajjan Sharma said.