By Our Correspondent
BHUBANESWAR: The Biju Janata Dal (BJD), Odisha’s main opposition party under Naveen Patnaik, has recently intensified its protests and agitations against the BJP-led government headed by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi. This appears to mark a shift to a more aggressive, street-based opposition strategy after about 18 months (since the BJP took power post-2024 assembly elections).
Key recent developments include:
On January 22-23, 2026, the BJD resolved to launch a state-wide stir accusing the BJP government of “betraying the people” after winning votes.
The party announced statewide protests from February 2-17, 2026, focusing on issues like the farmer crisis (like delayed paddy procurement, only ~29% completed in some reports), law and order failures (citing over 37,000 cases involving women in the first 14 months), and other grievances such as crimes against women, curtailment of powers for PRI (Panchayati Raj Institution) members, and more.
These protests are set to culminate in a massive rally in Bhubaneswar on February 24, 2026.
Earlier protests in 2025 covered topics like fertilizer shortages, crimes against women (including Parliament protests), self-immolation cases in colleges, Mahanadi river water issue, and Polavaram project impacts threatening village submergence.
This “fresh agitation” phase signals the BJD’s effort to:
Highlight governance failures under Majhi (like non-delivery on promises, rising insecurity, economic issues like inflation/farm distress).Regain public momentum after losing power in 2024 and rebuild its image as a strong regional force defending Odisha’s interests. Pressure the BJP government through sustained public mobilization.
Regarding the Rajya Sabha elections (likely in April 2026 as part of the nationwide cycle for ~72 seats, including Odisha’s vacancies): Odisha has multiple seats up (typically 3-4 in rotation), with BJP and BJD each holding strong numbers in the state assembly for the first few seats (elections are indirect via MLAs).
The real contest is often for an additional/4th seat, turning into an “arithmetic game” involving strategic voting, possible cross-voting, or informal alliances.
Recent BJD actions (for example, suspending MLAs suspected of anti-party leanings in January 2026) are speculated to be partly aimed at enforcing party discipline and preventing cross-voting that could benefit BJP or disrupt BJD’s strategy.
Lobbying and speculation are rife, including potential BJP-BJD understandings or Congress plays, but no formal alliance is confirmed.
Overall, the intensified agitations indicate the BJD is gearing up for a high-stakes political battle: weakening the Majhi government on the ground while positioning itself strongly for the upcoming Rajya Sabha polls (and potentially future contests).
It reflects classic opposition tactics to build narrative around “betrayal” and public discontent ahead of key electoral arithmetic in the assembly. The coming weeks/months will show how effective this mobilization proves against the BJP’s governance narrative.
