NEW DELHI: Former Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday came face-to-face with BJP MLA Laxman Bag who defeated him from Kantabanji assembly seat.
On being enquired by Bag as “How are you?”, the BJD chief responded, “Oh, you defeated me.”
Bag, 48, admitted he initially doubted his ability to defeat Patnaik. “The voters were silent throughout the campaign, but they voted for me,” he said.
Chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi, along with his deputies KV Singh Deo and Pravati Parida, and the entire assembly stood up to welcome Patnaik, who reigned as an unchallenged leader for 24 years.
Patnaik’s loss unfolded on two fronts: losing the chief minister’s seat he held since 2000 and facing an unexpected defeat in Kantabanji, in addition to his traditional Hinjili assembly seat.
(With inputs from agencies)
