A bypoll defeat in a small border district such as Nuapada may not ordinarily shift the larger politics of Odisha or the country. However, the slide of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), one of the country’s dominant regional forces over two and a half decades, to a distant third position delivers a momentous signal. Odisha’s political landscape is undergoing a decisive shift, and the era of Naveen Patnaik, a five-time Chief Minister known for his gracious and measured politics, may be approaching its end.

The BJD supremo was widely criticised for not campaigning enough during the 2024 Assembly and Lok Sabha elections — an omission many believe contributed to the party’s debacle. This time, determined to avoid attracting that criticism again, he hit the campaign trail in Nuapada, twice joining

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