BJP narrows gap in Odisha, leads in 8 Lok Sabha seats versus BJD's 11

Early trends show BJD cruising to power in Odisha, party leads in 73 assembly seats

Initial trends during the first few rounds of vote count show the tide in favour of the Naveen Patnaik-led Biju Janata Dal (BJD) in Odisha.

BJD was leading in 73 of the 102 seats where counting had taken off. The number is just one seat shy of the magic figure of 74 in the state assembly's total strength of 147. If preliminary trends are any indication, the party is coasting home for a fifth straight term. 

Though unable to topple BJD, the BJP's tally in the state assembly is bound to go up with the party leading in