After a long gap, the ruling BJD won a majority of seats in Sambalpur district with its candidates winning three out of four Assembly seats and the lok Sabha Seat. The BJD’s position was negligible last time but things have changed now and that too despite Narendra Modi’s high-sounding rally here. In the general elections of 2009, BJD had won only the Rairakhol seat. But this time, BJD’s Dr Raseswari Panigrahi, Rohit Pujari and Ramesh Patua won the Sambalpur, Rairakhol and Rengali seats respectively. However, BJP’s Rabi Naik won the Kuchinda seat. “The credit goes to Naveen Patnaik and his popularity and also love and affection of the people of the State for the BJD,” said Rohit Pujari and Dr Raseswari Panigrahi after declaration of the results.
Before the election, Patnaik did a lot for Sambalpur and the western Odisha. And the developmental process would be expedited further for this region after the current results, they said.