Naveen Patnaik is by nature a loner in politics. Also, one who takes his secular credentials and his image as a man of the people very seriously. So, it was not entirely a surprise when he snapped his electoral alliance with the BJP just before the elections, ostensibly over the communal bloodshed in Kandhamal.

According to political analysts, what helped the BJD’s clean sweep were a series of measures that benefited the poor and added to Patnaik’s pro-people image. The Patnaik Government had introduced a scheme to sell rice at a subsidised rate of Rs 2 a kg whose direct beneficiaries were 55 lakh poor families in the state. Besides, there was Patnaik’s favourite ‘Mission Shakti’, aimed at empowering women. Under the scheme, over 48 lakh women were organised under self-help groups that empowered them socially and economically.