National Approval Ratings: In Odisha, BJP projected to win more seats than BJD; Worry for Congress

With just days to go ahead of the first phase of voting in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Republic TV and CVoter have published the National Approval Ratings  - the biggest opinion poll ahead of the all-important elections.

The state of Odisha presents an interesting projection on account of there being three parties in contention - the two big national parties Congress and BJP - and the BJD, which has over the last many decades been entrenched in the state. With 21 seats up for voting, here is the projection for the state of Odisha:

Vote Share:

UPA: 26.3%

NDA: 39.0%

BJD: 32.6%

Seat Share:

UPA: 0 seats

NDA: 12 seats

BJD: 9 seats

As per the projection, the BJP is likely to secure the maximum number of seats, winning a total of 12 seats, followed by the BJD which is projected to win 9 seats.

The result corresponds to vote-shares as well, with the Congress projected to win 26.3% of the votes while the BJP is projected to win 39.0%. The Biju Janata Dal is likely to have a 32.6% vote-share. In a worrying sign for the Rahul Gandhi-led party, however, the Congress is not projected to convert its vote-share into any seats. 

In the 2014 elections, despite the Modi wave sweeping across the country, Naveen Patnaik's BJD had managed to win 20 seats while BJP won just one.

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A parallel CVoter survey has already indicated that citizens' satisfaction with the performance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been on an upswing since the Feb 1 budget where a number of significant announcements were made - especially for farmers and for middle-class taxpayers. This satisfaction index the skyrocketed following India's air-strike against Pakistani terror bases across the LoC. Simultaneously, the satisfaction index of Congress president Rahul Gandhi has spiralled downward in the same time-frame. Specific to Odisha, one big development has been former BJD leader Jay Panda joining the BJP as a party Vice President and Spokesperson.

READ | National Approval Ratings: Narendra Modi Head And Shoulders Above Rahul Gandhi As People's Choice To Be Next Prime Minister, Shows CVoter Survey

READ | National Approval Ratings: In Odisha, Danger Signs For Naveen Patnaik And BJD With BJP Projected To Make Huge Gains In The 2019 Lok Sabha Elections 

There are going to be a total of 21 parliamentary constituencies from the state of Odisha opting for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls - Kalahandi, Nabarangpur, Berhampur, Koraput, Bargarh, Bolangir, Sundargarh, Kandhamal, Aska, Sambalpur, Keonjhar, Dhenkanal, Cuttack, Puri, Bhubaneshwar, Mayurbhanj, Balasore, Bhadrak, Jaipur, Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur.