Lok Sabha exit polls 2019: BJP seen making inroads in Patnaik's bastion

Most exit polls predict that the Narendra Modi-led NDA would dent the BJD's Lok Sabha tally by 10 seats or more

Almost all of the exit polls made public after the end of the seven-phase Lok Sabha elections on Sunday have predicted handsome gains for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Odisha at the expense of the Naveen Patnaik-led Biju Janata Dal (BJD), which has been in power in the state.

The exit poll outcomes for Odisha seem to be in sync with the broader national political scene, where the BJP-led NDA is seen reclaiming a majority. Some experts have cited split voting preferences of Odisha’s electorate to explain the BJP’s projected gains in Lok Sabha numbers, even as the BJD