Naveen Patnaik retained his hold over Odisha, winning in five of the 21 Lok Sabha seats for which results were declared till late in the evening. His party was leading in 15 seats.
The BJD had an impressive 43.5 per cent share of the votes polled. The BJP, which was hoping to make a major mark, will have to remain content with one seat, in which it was leading. The party had a vote share of 21.7 per cent.
The Congress, which drew a blank, can take consolation from the fact that it bagged 25.7 per cent of the votes polled.
Patnaik said the people’s verdict proved that the BJD Government’s transparent policies have been accepted by them.