Mainstream WeeklyOn March 11, 2025, the people of Odisha witnessed a historic low in the Odisha State Legislative Assembly, where ruling party BJP Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) attacked opposition party members inside the house, which is considered the temple of democracy. The ruckus was not accidental; it was a result of the criminalisation of politics in the state. In Odisha, more than fifty percent of the MLA candidates contesting in the 2024 elections had criminal records. Among the winning candidates, fifty-eight percent of MLAs had criminal records, while forty-six percent were involved in serious criminal cases. Additionally, more than seventy-three percent of the MLAs were crorepati winners. These numbers highlight the reasons behind the democratic deficit in the state, where criminals dominate the State Assembly and influence state politics.
The Hindutva politics led by the BJP came to power with the promise of good governance and a commitment to ensuring the rule of law and curbing criminal influence in the state. However, after assuming power, the state has witnessed a sharp rise in crime and a collapse of law and order. Even opposition MLAs are not safe inside the Odisha State Assembly.
Such chaos within the Odisha Assembly is also a strategy to divert attention from the widespread discontent over the failures of Hindutva politics led by the BJP in Odisha. Even college student unions could govern the state better than the BJP. However, the BJP creates various political distractions to shift the public