Odisha Polls: Is BJP a threat to Naveen Patnaik's BJD this time?

Four Lok Sabha seats out of the total 21 in Odisha will go to polls on April 11. The Biju Janta Dal (BJD) won all these four seats in 2014. Overall, the BJD won 20 of the 21 Lok Sabha seats. Jual Oram was the lone winner from the Bharatiya Janata Party. The focus, however, remains on assembly polls as well.

28 out of a total 147 Assembly constituencies are up for grabs -- and Naveen Patnaik, who has been the chief minister of the state since 2000, is looking for a fifth term. This time, however, he faces a considerably stronger BJP. Defection also remains a major worry for Patnaik. Overall, three BJD leaders who had won seats in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls have now joined the BJP. This includes Jay Panda, former Member of Parliament from Kendrapara.